


Journey into the Jungle Book

by PerkyGoth14



Category: Mike Lu & Og, The Jungle Book - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-02-23 18:58:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18708019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerkyGoth14/pseuds/PerkyGoth14
Summary: Cartoon Network School decides to celebrate the last week of school by sending the students on a cruise ship. However, during their trip, a storm hits, leaving them shipwrecked into an Indian Jungle where they meet a boy named Mowgli who is a real wild child and has many misadventures, leading to some of the others to help him out as it's time for him to live in the Man Village.





	1. Chapter 1

This was the last week of school at Cartoon Network School and everyone was excited for it.

"Finally, the last week of school, then no more homework, no more teachers, and best of all, no more gross cafeteria food!" Eddy beamed.

"Until Fall comes around." Mike replied.

"Don't ruin my moment, Mike." Eddy grumbled.

Mike just rolled her eyes from that.

"Well, it's true." June said.

Eddy grumbled to them. "Ah, well, I've always been more of a summer person."

"Yeah, you were," Mike admitted. "You seemed to enjoy that summer in Menehune even though you had to put up with Otto for a while."

"Yeah... Having fun... Being with that kid was a grand old time..." Eddy gritted through his teeth as his left eye twitched.

"Didn't you have fun with those surfing twins, Kiko and Kiki?" Mike asked. "Kiki seemed to like you before you met Frida."

"What ever happened to them after that anyway?" Eddy asked.

"I dunno," Mike shrugged. "They were pretty cool though. It'd be nice to see them again sometime, I think Kiko would make a fine addition to the Rocket Power gang."

Ashlyn looked at them, rubbing her arms, looking upset. "Guys... I can't be with you for this summer..." she soon said.

"Oh?" Mike replied. "Why is that, Ash?"

"Please don't be mad at me, but... I'm thinking of leaving the group to join Ben, Gwen, and Kevin's team." Ashlyn admitted as she bit her lip.

"Nooooo!" Ed and Dee Dee cried out before hugging the punk girl. "Don't leave us!"

"I knew this was going to happen." Ashlyn grumbled from that a bit.

"Uh, leaving the group?" Mike asked the punk girl. "You just mean for the summer, right?"

Ashlyn took a deep breath at first. "Not exactly."

"Why do you want to leave?" June asked.

"Because Ben offered me a new opportunity the other day when we went out on a date," Ashlyn explained. "To join the Plumbers."

"Why would you wanna unclog toilets all day?" Eddy scoffed.

"No, Eddy, the Plumbers are an intergalactic law-enforcement organization that makes use of many high-tech gadgets and weapons to protect the planets in the universe from various alien threats and attacks." Double D explained.

"I knew that, I just wanted to see if YOU knew." Eddy said.

Double D rolled his eyes from that.

"Well, do you really want this?" Mike asked Ashlyn.

"Well, you know how close I am with Ben and spending time with him, so... Yeah..." Ashlyn said. "I would really love to be by his side."

"If that's what you want, we won't stop you." Mike replied.

"You guys are all really awesome and good friends, but I think I really belong with Ben, Gwen, and Kevin." Ashlyn said to them.

"That's fair enough, but I have a condition." Mike said.

"What is it?" Ashlyn asked.

"You try to visit whenever you can." Mike told her.

"I will, Mike, I can promise you that." Ashlyn said, smiling to her soon-to-be former leader.

"Sounds good to me," Mike said. "It was a good run, Ashlyn, especially when we visited Oakhaven and we saw your old friend, Taylor."

"Yeah, that was cool." Ashlyn smiled.

"Thank you for telling us, but it won't be the same without you." Mike said as she shook hands with the punk girl.

Ashlyn then pulled the tomboy into a hug with tears running down her face. "You guys were the coolest friends ever."

"You have fun with Kevin, Ben, and Gwen." Mike coaxed.

It was a bit of an emotional moment for everybody, though of course, Ed and Dee Dee were the most emotional since Ashlyn was leaving The Howling Wolves.

"Don't leave us, Ashlyn!" Ed cried out.

"We love her!" Dee Dee added.

"Guys, it's her decision, we shouldn't make her stay if she doesn't want to." Mike told them.

Ed and Dee Dee whimpered with tears running down their face.

"It's okay, you guys," Mike told them. "She did promise that she would visit us."

"This is what I was afraid of," Ashlyn said. "They always cry at everything."

"Don't worry, Ash, they'll be fine after a while," Mike replied. "We'll make the most of what we can. How soon are you going to join Kevin, Gwen, and Ben?"

"I'll be leaving after this week is over," Ashlyn told them. "My parents say it's okay since they know that Ben will protect me."

"Fair enough," Mike said. "Maybe we can spend your last week with us doing something special."

"That would be nice, like how we met the Manhattan Clan and found out I was part gargoyle," Ashlyn gave a small smile. "Man, was that a crazy adventure."

"That sure was." Mike remembered.

"Thank you for understanding at least." Ashlyn said.

"It's okay, just make sure to keep in touch once you leave with Ben, Gwen, and Kevin." Mike replied.

"I will, Mike." Ashlyn nodded her head.

Mike then smiled and hugged her again. "You've been a great teammate."

"Thanks, Mike." Ashlyn smiled back.

Ed and Dee Dee hugged each other emotionally.

"As I was saying... Summer break is coming!" Eddy soon said.

"What could be any better than that?" June replied.

"Attention, students; I have some exciting news," Skarr announced over the PA. "Instead of spending your last week in school, you'll all be going on a cruise trip."

"That's... Something..." Mike said. "I guess our final assignments for class don't matter anymore?"

"Who cares anymore, Mike?" Eddy replied. "This is going to be awesome!"

"I just don't want people to fight or argue with each other and the bullying starts," Mike said. "I know not everything is happy and people get along ALL the time, but would it kill people to tolerate each other whenever we have a school trip somewhere? I mean, what if something goes wrong and we all have to work together?"

"Like I'd wanna work with you on anything." Kevin huffed.

Eddy opened his mouth to say something.

"Eddy, don't start." Mike told him.

Eddy then closed his mouth and folded his arms. Kevin chuckled.

"And don't you start anything," Mike said. "The last thing I want is people to tear each other apart on our last week in school."

Kevin then crossed his arms, rolling his eyes a bit.

"I guess the question would be: Where are we going on this trip?" June commented.

"Who knows, but it would be nice to get out of the city for a while." Mike replied.

"That is true." June nodded.

Everyone looked excited about the upcoming trip.

"Who says I don't care about my students? This is going to be fun, I just know it." Skarr smiled to himself as he sat in his office, satisfied with the announcement that he made.

"And best of all, we don't have to go with them." Ms. Butterbean soon smiled to her boyfriend.

"That is right, my dear, because you and I will be going on our own cruise ship." Skarr smiled back.

"With the students." Ms. Butterbean reminded.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about them, they'll be too busy with their own thing going on anyway, and we can spend some time together like whenever we chaperon the school dances or parties or school plays." Skarr told her.

"I'm sure Sensei Jack will want to take Ms. Honeydew as well." Ms. Butterbean gave a small smile.

"And Mr. Bravo won't be having any problems since he'll be spending time with that Anne Maria girl." Skarr replied.

"But who's going to make sure our school will be in order when we get back?" Ms. Butterbean soon asked.

"Already taken care of." Skarr told her.

"Dare I ask?" Ms. Butterbean asked.

"Don't worry, sir," Penn said as he opened the door with a grin on his face. "I'll be making sure that the school will be in tiptop shape when you come back."

"Our school is dead." Ms. Butterbean mumbled in misfortune.

"He was our last resort." Skarr whispered to her.

"Of course." Ms. Butterbean replied.

Eventually, when school finished up, everyone went home to pack their things for their upcoming trip, but it would soon turn into a new adventure.

Ashlyn went straight home with a light sigh since this would be her last official week with the team. "I'm going to miss the team, but they'll be fine without me." she said to herself.

Ashley was texting on her phone which was always the same for her.

"Hey, Ash, having fun?" Ashlyn smirked to her younger sister.

"Yeah." Ashley said.

"Texting your boyfriend?" Ashlyn guessed.

"No?" Ashley blushed.

"That means yes." Ashlyn smirked.

Ashley rolled her eyes with a pout while looking at her phone.

"Well, I'm glad that Mike took my news all right," Ashlyn said. "Better get ready for the trip. Kinda nice to go on a cruise once in a while like that time we went to Hawaii after Justine invited us."

"How 'bout you?" Ashley asked. "You gonna hang with your boyfriend?"

"Ah, zip it!" Ashlyn replied.

"What?" Ashley smirked. "You do that to me all the time."

"Just get packing."

"I'm going. I'm going."

"Would it kill you two to get along?" Ashton smirked to his younger sisters.

"Shouldn't you be texting... Uh... Hey, do you even HAVE a girlfriend?" Ashlyn asked.

"Eh, I'm trying to make something work out with that girl Desdemona Gunderson." Ashton shrugged.

"You mean Buddy G's sister?" Ashley asked.

"The very same." Ashton said.

"Hmm... That might be nice..." Ashlyn smirked. "It would be cool if you had someone after you broke up with that goth girl Nebula."

"I think you have a trip to pack for." Ashton smirked back.

"Okay. Okay." Ashlyn chuckled.

Mike had all her packing done and was lying down on her bed at home, just thinking to herself a bit. "I sure hope that Ashlyn will be okay with Ben, Gwen, and Kevin." she said to herself.

Everyone had a lot on their minds, but soon enough, before they knew it, it was time for the big cruise trip.

Everyone stood in line with their luggage while talking as they got in line to join the cruise ship and their parents/guardians were there to say goodbye to them as they would be gone for about a week.

"Oh, please be careful, sweetie, and don't forget to change your underwear." Jessica cooed as she hugged Eddy tightly.

The others laughed a little from that.

"MA! You're embarrassing me!" Eddy cried out.

"I'm gonna miss you so much," Jessica smiled to him. "You behave yourself, and make sure you call me as soon as you can."

"Yeah, okay, Mom, can I go now?" Eddy grunted.

"Oh, I'm gonna miss you!" Jessica said to him.

"Don't worry, Mom; I will call you." Eddy promised.

Anna went over a checklist while Double D responded to her to make sure that he had everything while Matt and Angelia told Ed to watch over Sarah and keep her safe. Mike soon came by, smiling to Lu and Og as it was like old times.

"This brings back memories of when you brought those tourists on MY island, Mike," Lu said to the tomboy. "You remember... One of the kids tried to take Og home like a pet."

"Yes, Princess, I remember." Mike replied.

"Well, luckily that won't happen and we will have fun." Og said.

"That's right, Og boy." Mike smiled to him.

"When are we gonna get on the boat?" Lu groaned, fanning herself. "I hate sweating."

"I thought you said that princesses don't sweat?" Og replied to his cousin.

"Oh, whatever." Lu said.

"We should be leaving soon," Mike said. "This is where the parents say goodbye. You guys say goodbye to your parents?"

"Do you have your clothes?" Bunny asked Johnny.

"Yes, Mama."

"Your cell phone so that you can call me?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Clean underwear?"

"MAMA!"

"Yeah, repeating the same jokes is really hilarious." Anne Maria deadpanned in the background.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm going to miss you." Athena said to her daughter.

"I'll miss you too, Mama," Anne Maria smiled. "Take care of Snooki for me?"

"I will, sweetie." Athena promised.

Soon enough, the cruise ship arrived.

"All right, everyone, time to make your final goodbyes and get going for a week to remember!" Skarr announced through his megaphone as he stood with Ms. Butterbean.

Everyone said their final goodbyes to their parents/guardians before getting on the cruise. The adults called out as the students soon got on board and waved goodbye on the way.

"Well, here we go." Mike said to herself, looking out on the edge with Lu and Og.

"Lancelot, where did you run off to now?" Lu complained, looking around for her turtle.

Lancelot was hiding in Lu's suitcase so that he could avoid her. Everyone soon waved as confetti fell and the cruise ship began to leave the docks so that the students could enjoy their new vacation adventure.

"Well, this is it, you guys," Mike smiled to them. "Goodbye, Cartoon Network City, and hello, adventure."

"Yeah, nothing but a little R&R." Eddy added.


	2. Chapter 2

"This just in!" A news announcement came onto the radio that Chicken had on while he was playing cards with Scott and Lightning while Katrina, Jade, and Ellody watched their boyfriends. "A severe thunderstorm is about to hit, and viewers and listeners are advised to stay indoors in rooms without windows until our next broadcast. Flooding may occur, and--"

"Come on, play some music," Chicken complained as he tried to change the radio station. Then after a few moments, he finally found a station that would play music. "Finally."

"Chicken, I think you should listen to that warning, it sounds serious." Ellody said.

"Ah, I'm sure it's nuthin'." Chicken replied.

"So you think ignoring a severe weather warning is smart?" Ellody asked.

"Aw, will you relax?" Chicken replied. "Nothing's gonna happen."

"Don't say I didn't tell you so." Ellody mumbled to herself, not liking that answer, passing by Justine as she was relaxing in a lawn chair.

Sensei Jack and Ms. Honeydew smiled to each other as they chaperoned the trip since Principal Skarr and Ms. Butterbean went on their own vacation, and they seemed to look like they were in love with each other.

"It seems to be a nice turn out, doesn't it, Sensei?" Ms. Honeydew smiled to Jack.

"Yes, it would appear so," Jack smiled back to her. "Especially since I get to be here with you."

"Oh, you." Ms. Honeydew giggled to him.

"Hey, Sensei Jack, Ms. Honeydew, there's a Limbo game going on; aren't you guys coming?" Boomer asked the adults.

"Maybe later, sweetie." Ms. Honeydew told him.

"Okay!" Boomer smiled, running off.

"I'll go if you'll go, Jane." Jack smiled to the woman.

"Well, maybe I'll go then." Ms. Honeydew giggled to him.

Jack soon chuckled as he went along with the woman to go and play a round of Limbo. Mike, Lu, and Og sat in lawn chairs together by the sun.

"Okay... And... Flip!" Mike told them.

They then flipped over in the chairs while giving themselves some tans by the sunlight.

"Ah... This is the life, right guys?" Lu smiled.

While everyone enjoyed their cruise, there was a light thunder rumble heard.

"Mm... I don't think that was my stomach." Og said, holding his hand on his stomach as he heard a low sound.

"Well, whatever it was, it better stop before I stop it." Lu threatened.

"You don't even know what it was." Og said.

"Well, it'll stop because I'm the princess." Lu retorted.

"It sounds like thunder." Mike replied.

"Hmm... This is not good..." Og said.

"It's probably just someone's stomach or something." Lu tried to ignore it.

"Doesn't sound like that to me..." Og said as he came out of his chair and looked out into the sky.

The sky soon began dark and cloudy.

"It looks like we're gonna have a storm coming our way." Og warned.

"I tried to tell Chicken to leave the storm warning on the radio, but he wouldn't listen." Ellody said to the island native boy.

"Think the others will listen?" Og asked.

"I seriously doubt it." Ellody replied.

"What do you suggest we do?" Og asked.

"I don't know, I'd just say to tell everyone to go indoors, but who's gonna listen to us?" Ellody replied.

Og hummed as he flicked his nose ring and looked to see that the other students were having fun, forming a conga line led by Duncan.

"I'm leading a conga line, but I don't care, because I'm having too much fun!" Duncan laughed. 

"You know what? Let them out in the rain until they find our shelter," Ellody told Og. "It'll teach them a lesson about not listening to us."

"Might be fair enough." Og nodded.

Then soon enough, Ellody and Og hid in the shelter while the other students were out, having fun.

"I'm no weatherwoman, but I feel like something might be amiss." Mike said.

"Will you relax, Mike?" Eddy said. "Nothing's gonna happen. Now stop being a wet blanket and have some fun."

"Eddy, look at the sky." Mike told him.

"So it's a little cloudy, so what?" Eddy replied.

"It's more than that," Mike told him. "I've lived on an island for a year, I think I know when a storm's coming with or without a weather report on TV."

"Pfft! Stop worrying and go have some fun," Eddy replied. "I'm going to join in the conga line. You wanna come?"

"No, because I'm going to hide in the shelter." Mike told him.

"What shelter?" Eddy asked.

"Why bother telling you?" Mike replied as she walked away. "It's not like you're gonna listen to me anyway. I thought if anyone would listen to me when I feel something wrong, it would be my best friend."

Eddy blinked and then looked a little guilty for not believing Mike.

Everyone continued to have fun until the blue sky soon turned gray.

"Oh, my..." Ms. Honeydew frowned as she shared a drink with Jack.

"Hey, who turned out the sun?" Anne Maria complained. "I'm trying to get a tan over here!"

"Like she needs it." Chicken whispered to Flem and Earl who snickered in response to that.

"Please, it's probably nothing." Sarah rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck, hitting Sarah instantly.

"...Or not..." Sarah said weakly before falling into an ash pile with just her eyes like in cartoons.

"Well, who cares?" Courtney replied as she read her magazine. "I'm not getting out of this chair."

"Yeah, that's the smart thing to do," Stephanie said. "It's gonna rain!"

Ryan soon held out an umbrella for his girlfriend so that she wouldn't get wet.

"Still not getting out of this chair." Courtney scoffed.

"Oh, my, and I just got my hair done too." Justine pouted.

Ms. Honeydew and Jack soon went inside as it started to rain. Some thunder was soon heard, which scared everyone. Well, almost everyone.

"Still not getting out of this chair." Courtney continued.

"Well, forget you then!" Chicken said. "I hate getting wet!"

Most of the other soon went inside as it was pouring down rain with thunder rumbling and lightning flashing.

"We told you guys," Ellody said. "Wait a minute, where's Courtney?"

"Who cares?" Chicken rolled his eyes.

"She says she refuses to get out of her chair, but I doubt she can read her magazine anymore." Cow pouted.

"Well, someone has to go get her," Eddy said before touching his nose. "Dibs, not it!"

"Dibs not it!" Almost everyone repeated, touching their own noses.

"Huh? What?" Jayna asked, feeling confused.

"You're the only one who didn't call dibs, so that means you gotta go get Bossy Crabby Pants." Stephanie told her.

Jayna shrugged and soon walked off to get Courtney, but of course, it wouldn't be easy.

"There goes one brave soul." Jonny told the others.

"Ha, ha." Jayna deadpanned.

Courtney was shown to be outside.

"Hey, I know you don't care what I think or have to say, but you're gonna get sick if you stay out here, it's pouring down raining." Jayna told the girl.

"I'm perfectly fine out here, and I don't want you to ruin this for me." Courtney told Jayna.

"You're gonna get struck by lightning." Jayna told her.

"You can't tell me what to do, now get out of my way." Courtney demanded.

"Gladly, but if you get struck by lightning or catch a cold, it's not my fault." Jayna said as she walked off.

A lightning bolt then hit the ship, leaving a big hole, blocking Jayna's way. 

"Yow!" Jayna yelped.

"Serves you right for bothering me!" Courtney glared.

"What is your problem?!" Jayna asked. "What happened to you anyway?! You used to be a nice girl!"

"I don't have to tell you anything because it's none of your business!" Courtney replied.

"WHY ARE YOU EVEN OUT HERE, COURTNEY?!" Jayna complained. "Are you dumb or something?"

"No, I'm not!" Courtney glared.

"You're outside in the middle of a storm, you're gonna get yourself sick!" Jayna glared back. "I didn't HAVE to help you, but I did, and I see it got me nowhere! Would it KILL you to be nice when someone is trying to help you? Oh, I guess it would, and I hope it does!"

"I wouldn't be talking!" Courtney retorted. "You think you're so great, but you're nothing!"

"Yeah, well, I got something you'll never have!"

"Oh, yeah? What's that?!"

Jayna was about to say something, but another lightning bolt struck, hitting the ship again.

"A boyfriend!" Jayna then said. 

"Yeah, 'cuz you stole Justin from me!" Courtney said. "I could've made him REALLY happy, then you came along! If YOU'RE so smart, why don't you get us out of this?!"

"If YOU'RE so smart, why don't YOU, Miss CIT?!" Jayna retorted. "The only thing you're good at running is that big mouth of yours!" 

"Why don't YOU go home with Mommy and Daddy?!" Courtney retorted back. "I'm sure that they would love to hear you complaining a lot!"

"Oh, like YOU never complain!" Jayna rolled her eyes. "All you do is complain and whine all day! YOU'RE A SPOILED, SELF-OBSESSED, OBNOXIOUS, WHINY, SELFISH, LITTLE BRAT, AND YOU'RE JUST GONNA GROW OLD AND DIE ALONE! AT LEAST I HAVE FRIENDS WHO LIKE ME FOR WHO I AM, SO BUZZ OFF!" she then shoved Courtney down as she stormed off. 

Courtney growled and tackled the female Wonder Twin, causing both girls to get off the ship and land in the deep water which made everyone gasp in fear.

"Great... Just what I wanted..." Mike groaned. "I wanted a vacation away from drama, and here it's back again. What's the point anymore?"

Eventually, the storm was getting worse with the lightning hitting the ship.

"We're going to die!" Eddy cried out.

"I'm so sorry for not believing you, Ellody!" Chicken added.

"Are there any lifeboats?!" Ms. Honeydew cried out. "We have to save the children!" 

"Yes, there are," Jack nodded. "I will go and grab them."

"Now, let's remain calm and don't panic." Skarr told his students.

A thunder boom was then heard which made Skarr yelp and jump in Ms Butterbean’s arms. Ellody soon turned her head away from the others. Og soon did the same.

"It's okay, guys, I believed you." Mike said.

"Ah, don't worry, Mike, we're not mad at you," Og said. "It's just that no one ever listens to the smart people in an emergency."

"I think I know what you mean, Og." Double D agreed with him. 

Dexter and Mary also nodded in agreement since some don’t listen to them.

"Everyone, head for the lifeboats, hurry!" Jack called out. "There's room for everyone!"

Everyone rushed to the lifeboats and some pushed and shoved others out of the way to make it onto a boat. Jack carried Ms. Honeydew as she looked too scared to move.

"Oh, boy... I thought I left adventure behind after I retired from Global Security." Ms. Honeydew said to Jack softly. 

"It will be all right," Jack soothed. "I'm here to protect you."

Ms. Honeydew blushed. The storm got worse and worse as everyone panicked, though some tried to stay brave.

"Boy, this brings back memories..." Mike whispered to herself from the storm and the sinking boat.

"This is just like Titanic!" Dee Dee cried out.

Mike soon got onto a lifeboat with Lu, Og, June, and Dee Dee. Eddy then jumped into his own lifeboat with Ed and Double D. The lifeboats soon began to leave the cruise ship as another lightning bolt soon hit it, making the boat catch on fire. 

"It's a good thing that we got out of there as soon as possible." Cindy said softly.

"Who knew a storm would hit?" Lightning commented. "Someone should've said something."

Jade soon hit him with her hat.

"Ow! What did I do?!" Lightning complained.

"Maybe listen to yer girlfriend once in a while!" Jade glared at him. "She was tryin' to help, but SOMEONE ignored her!"

"I said sorry though!" Chicken said. 

"Okay, the Lightning is sha-sorry." Lightning then said.

"I'm just upset and overwhelmed that you people always have to argue every time whenever someone tries to help you," Mike glared. "This isn't the Cartoon Network City I know and love."

"Then maybe you should leave CN City, Miss I'm-The-Best-Citizen-Ever." Kevin retorted.

"THEN I WILL, AT LEAST I'LL NEVER HAVE TO SEE OR HEAR JERKS LIKE YOU AGAIN!" Mike roared at him. 

"Then nobody will miss you!" Sarah told Mike.

"I'll probably move away to Nicktropolis, Disneyville, or even PBS Town because then I will have less stress from you." Mike glowered as she soon rowed away from everyone.

"You guys are real jerks sometimes." Ellody glared as she soon rowed after Mike.

"What do you want from us?" Sarah asked.

"Maybe showing a LITTLE BIT of empathy?!" Cindy glared.

"Make me!" Sarah glared.

Cindy soon punched Sarah in the face, giving her a black eye and a bloody nose and soon went after Mike and Ellody. "Hey, can I join in on this?" she then asked.

"Sure, Cindy, come here." Ellody said, taking Cindy and letting her sit with her in her boat. 

"Ooh, I'm gonna tell my mom!" Sarah threatened Cindy.

"Oh, put a sock in it!" Jayna told her before looking to the others. "Guys? You got room for one more?"

"Make that two?" Ashlyn added.

"Sure, guys, hop in." Mike smiled.

"Hey, Jayna, you made it out of the water." Ellody said to the female Wonder Twin. 

"You really think I was gonna let your step-sister beat me?" Jayna replied. "Please... I've faced worse, especially at the circus with my brother." 

"Glad to have you on board." Mike said.

"Thanks," Jayna replied before looking behind her. "I hope that Zan will be all right. I hate to leave him."

"I'm sure he'll understand," Mike said. "I just wanted ONE time where we could all actually have fun and get along, but I guess I can't even get that on a vacation that Principal Skarr was doing for US, but nooo... People just had to get arrogant and cocky all the time."

"With their popularity which won't even matter once we all graduate," Ellody rolled her eyes. "Who cares if they're popular? It's not gonna matter once we're all out of school, and I'd rather have friends who like me for who I am on the inside rather than being rich or parents on the PTA or whatever." 

"Or when they just bully you because they think that they're higher up than you." Jayna added.

"I'm so glad that I'm leaving CN City." Ashlyn remarked.

"I wonder where we're going now?" Cindy said.

"I don't know, but I'm glad to be away from the others," Mike said. "Oh! No offense, guys, I mean--"

"It's okay, Mike, we understand." Ellody smiled. 

"I'll probably get away from everyone in the summer," Mike said. "Maybe go to Nicktropolis or maybe Disneyville. At least there's not as much stress."

"Is that why you're leaving, Ashlyn?" Cindy asked. "Because of stress?"

"Not so much, I just wanna be closer to Ben." Ashlyn explained.

"Oh, right, he's your boyfriend," Cindy then said. "Well, wherever this boat takes us, maybe it'll be a new adventure."

Meanwhile, the others were still shocked over what had just happened.

"Pfft! Who needs her?" Kevin scoffed about Mike's absence. "We'd be better off without her."

Courtney looked down at her reflection. She looked a little upset, and she was soon feeling remorseful. "Maybe she's right..." she said in a soft tone. 

"Yeah, well, I hope you're happy!" Eddy glared at Kevin. "You made Mike run off! Why do you have to be such a jerk all the time?!"

"You're one to talk," Kevin glared back. "Especially with that brother of yours!"

"Yeah!" Sarah added. "Who needs Mike Mazinsky anyway? What makes her so special anyway?" 

"She's a good friend for one thing, and is always there whenever we need her and we were there for her too!" Eddy replied. "Mike is right, you guys ARE jerks! I'm not going to waste my time with you. Whoever wants to come help me find Mike can come and join me!"

Double D, Ed, June, and Dee Dee of course joined in.'

"You guys, I knew I could count on." Eddy said to them.

Courtney glanced over, rubbing her hand a bit shyly as she looked a little emotional right now after fighting with Jayna.

"I just wish I could tell where we were," Double D said. "We could be anywhere."

"I know it's not home." Og said as he sat with Lu. 

Lightning, Scott, Jade, Chicken, and Katrina decided to join them as well as the Rookies along with Zan, Justin, and Justine.

"Hey, you guys, wait up," Chicken said. "We're comin' with too."

"Yeah, Joanna is like a sister to me." Justine added.

"Welcome to the search group." Eddy smirked to them.

"Yeah, well, go then! Who needs ya?!" Kevin glared.

Courtney looked between the others as she looked around.

"I have nothing to say." Robin glared at Kevin, Sarah, and Courtney.

"So, where are we gonna go then?" Eddy asked.

"Anywhere we can," Double D said. "Hopefully we find Mike or maybe someone who can help us? Who knows where we'll end up?" 

"Pfft! Who needs 'em?" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"You got that right." Kevin agreed.

"You guys have no heart!" Courtney glared back as she soon rowed away.

"And where do you think you're going?" Kevin asked her.

"They're right, you guys are just so mean-spirited and selfish," Courtney told them. "Especially whenever they tell us someone died and you guys just laugh it off. Well, how would YOU feel if your parents died just like that and you couldn't do anything about it? Would you still laugh?" 

"No...?" Kevin soon admitted.

"Not everybody is lucky to still have their parents, all you guys care about is yourselves!" Courtney told them. I'm quitting your gang, Kevin. For good!"

"...Fine by me then!" Kevin glared. "I never liked you anyway."

"Ask me if I care," Courtney said as she rowed away from Kevin and his friends. "Spoilers: I don't," she then sighed softly, looking very emotional and sympathetic like she did in the first season of Total Drama Island. "Jayna is right... I AM a spoiled brat... I'm sorry, guys, hey, wait for me!"

Eddy's search team looked at her rowing to them.

"Oh, great, Courtney's back." Jayna complained. 

"Pretend you don't see her." Mike told the others.

The other soon turned away to act like they didn't notice Courtney as they waded along the water.

"Wait! I want to talk to you!" Courtney told them.

"Did you guys hear something?" Cindy asked.

"Nope." Ashlyn replied.

"Must've been the wiiiind." Cindy rolled her eyes.

"Guys, please!" Courtney told them. "I'm sorry!" 

"Man, the weather is getting worse." Mike grumbled.

Courtney looked down with tears running down her face. "You guys are right, I AM a spoiled brat..." she said to them. "I deserve to get a major beating."

The others continued to look away from her.

"And I'm very sorry, Jayna," Courtney said. "I know you're really mad at me, especially whenever I try to take Justin from you, but I was just jealous. I mean, can you blame me? He's the most amazing boy out there, and I'm not just saying that because he's cute. He's very nice, smart, and funny."

"Justin's smart?" Ashlyn commented. 

"Then what happened to being a nice girl?" Jayna repeated her question from earlier.

"Duncan happened..." Courtney sighed. "He cheated on me with Gwen during World Tour."

The others kept ignoring Courtney while Jayna listened.

"I'm sorry, I know I haven't been Miss Nice Girl since Total Drama's first season, but Duncan meant a lot to me back then, even if he bugged me a lot when we were first getting together." Courtney explained, sniffling a bit. 

"Then... Why do you bother Justin then?" Jayna soon asked.

"Back on Total Drama Action, he had a crush on me." Courtney said.

"Yeah?" Jayna replied.

"It felt so amazing, you have no idea..." Courtney smiled. "It was like a magical time, because, you know, we all thought Justin was a bit of a narcissist on Total Drama Island, instead of Katie and Sadie overtime. Especially Katie, but I'm really sorry for hurting you guys, especially you, Jayna. I know you and Justin are a lot better together than me with him."

"Hmm... Courtney, no offense, but I need to think about this for a moment." Jayna said.

"I understand..." Courtney said. "I mean, I was a bit crude to you guys, and especially you since Justin chose you over me or any other girl. I'll never have a boyfriend."

The others still didn't say anything, but they soon listened as well.

"And I'm sorry if I hurt you guys too," Courtney continued. "Especially you, Ellody."

No one said anything yet, but they began to look at Courtney differently.

"I'll give you guys some time to think about it." Courtney told them.

"No offense, but that would be best." Jayna replied.

"But... Could I join you guys?" Courtney asked them.

"Fine, but we're going to keep an eye on you." Mike told the CIT.

"Where are we going?" Courtney asked.

"Wherever the water takes us, but I know this isn't the way to the Albonquetine Islands." Mike shrugged.

As the others were going wherever the water was taking them, the search group were still looking for their friends.

"Guys, I think we're lost." Jade said.

"We're not lost." Eddy replied.

"Then where are we?" Jade asked him.

"Well... I... Um... Don't know..." Eddy then admitted.

"Man, what is it with men and asking for directions?" Jade rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, who are we gonna ask for help, huh?" Eddy replied. "What do we do now, Jade? You're so smart all of the sudden like your cousin Dexter!"

"Calm down, Eddy." June told the scammer.

Og hummed quietly as he was thinking of an idea. 

"You got something, kid?" Eddy asked Og.

"Maybe... I don't know..." Og said. "Maybe I can work on an invention that'll track down our location and find the others until we can get some help to bring us back home in the city with Mike. I mean... If she wants to come back home."

"Why wouldn't she come back home?" Eddy shrugged. "She loves us!"

"Well, think about it, Eddy," Double D advised. "People like Kevin and Sarah are always ruining everything for her."

"Am I the only one who thinks it's sick whenever they laugh whenever one of us mentions someone we loved and cared about died?" Jade asked. 

"Yeah, I mean, even though she's a bad friend to Ginger and Macie, I did feel bad for Dodie when her Nana had died because of how close they were." Zoey commented.

"I want to suck out their blood and leave them bone dry, and then the vultures will eat their corpses." Yumi remarked.

Everyone looked at her took a few steps back.

"Uh... Sorry." Yumi said.

"Too dark." Ami said.

"Sorry, Ami, but you know what I mean." Yumi said.

Og soon went to working on something with what he had with Dexter, Maxwell, and Otto's help since they were the inventor types.

"I just hope that they will be all right." Justine hoped.

"Well, hopefully we can get this thing working with the tools we have now and we can track down where we are." Maxwell told her as he was inventing with his friends.

"It shouldn't take too long," Og told them. "I'm sure the others are fine with Mike on their side. She was pretty much born to be a leader like her father was in the very old days before Cartoon Network City, Nicktropolis, and Disneyville even existed."

"Yeah. It's no wonder that most people respect her." Robin added.

"She was always there for us." Julie added.

"Now it's our turn to save her." June decided.

"As soon as we can get this device together," Otto said. "We're lucky we have Og since he doesn't need machines for his inventions."

"It IS impressive how he does it all with bamboo and other natural resources." June smiled.

"Tell me about it," Maxwell chuckled. "I wish I could do that sometimes."

"That's genius!" Dexter beamed.

"Thank you." Og nodded.

"Can you hurry it up though?" Eddy asked.

"You can't rush genius." Mary told him.

"She's right, Eddy." Double D replied.

Eddy just grumbled to himself. The geniuses of the group continued to get to work as the others hoped that they could find Mike and the others very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Mike and the others with her soon fell asleep, and the boat soon stopped, hitting some ground, making them fall out of the boat.

"Ugh..." Courtney groaned before sitting on her knees and stretching her back before rubbing her eyes, looking around. "Huh? Where are we now?"

The others yawned, rubbing their eyes and looked around.

"Where are we?" Ashlyn wondered.

"That's what I'd like to know." Courtney replied.

"Is it an island?" Jayna asked Mike.

"No... It's... It's like a jungle..." Mike said as she took a look.

"Hmm... Interesting..." Ellody remarked.

Everyone soon stood up and came to explore the jungle they ended up in, looking around.

"It feels like there's no one here," Cindy said. "You don't think it's uninhabited, do you?" 

"There's gotta be someone down here..." Mike said as she took the lead.

Soon enough, the girls explored the jungle, not knowing that a snake was watching them. Cindy blinked, looking around before shrugging as she continued to follow the others.

"Ah, yes... There's animals here," Mike told the others. "I can tell."

"Luckily we have an animal expert here with us." Ashlyn smirked over to the female Wonder Twin.

"Very funny." Jayna smirked back.

The snake slithered along, taking a look at the incoming group, hissing a bit while hiding out.

"Well, I definitely don't recognize this jungle." Mike said.

"This reminds me of some old stories that my father used to tell me when I was very young." Courtney said.

"Erm... Guys?" Cindy spoke up. "Do you ever have a feeling that someone is following us?"

"We're in a jungle, so it's likely, but I'm right here." Mike reminded her.

The girls continued to explore the jungle with the snake quietly following them.

"So, you heard stories about this place?" Jayna asked Courtney.

"Oh, it can't be the same one, but my dad used to tell me stories when I was a little girl," Courtney said from memory. "Many strange legends are told of these jungles of India, but none so strange as the story of a small boy named Mowgli."

"Who's that?" Mike asked.

"A boy who was raised by wolves." Courtney informed.

"Somehow, I think I can relate." Mike replied.

"So your parents were wolves?" Courtney asked.

"That depends, are you gonna make fun of me and call me an orphan since my parents are gone now?" Mike rolled her eyes.

The others girls looked at Courtney.

"You know, you bullies can be so sick when you make fun of someone for something that's beyond their control," Mike told Courtney. "Like my parents being killed when I was barely even five-years-old and separated from my brother and sister."

"No, I wasn't going to do that, honest." Courtney promised.

Mike gave her a look.

"So... Uh... What were they like?" Courtney asked. "Are your parents wolves too?"

"Actually, my father was a mortal man and my mother were a Lycan, also known as a werewolf." Mike explained.

"Oh, I see," Courtney replied. "I'm sorry."

"Sure, everyone's sorry, but what can you do?" Mike sighed with a shrug. 

"My mother was pretty tore up when my father was taken out of the picture." Courtney said to her softly.

"Did he die?" Cindy asked the CIT. 

"No," Courtney shook her head. "He just decided that he didn't love my mom anymore."

"That can happen sometimes," Mike said to her. "I'm sorry about that though."

"Me too," Courtney nodded softly about her father. "And I'm sorry for treating you guys like crap."

"Wait... I smell wolves... They should be really close by... I can talk to them." Mike told the others. 

"That's a good idea," Cindy said. "What have we got to lose?"

Mike soon walked ahead with the others following behind her.

"You wanna tell us more of that story, Courtney?" Jayna asked.

"Well, it all began when the silence of the jungle was broken by an unfamiliar sound," Courtney explained from what she knew from the story. "It was a sound like one never heard before in this part of the jungle. They called Mowgli a man-cub since he was a human child." 

"Who found him?" Ashlyn asked.

"A panther named Bagheera." Courtney said.

"You don't think that story might be true, do you?" Ellody asked.

"Oh, come on, it was just a fairy tale," Courtney replied. "I think if there were a kid in the jungle, it would be on the news or something."

Mike kept looking around for a while until she got pinned down by a wolf who snarled at her.

The others looked and felt nervous for Mike at first as the wolf snarled at the tomboy.

"Easy, buddy, I ain't a hunter or anything like that," Mike said. "I'm just passing through with my friends."

"Is that right?" The wolf growled. "What's your name?"

"Mike Mazinsky." Mike shrugged.

"Wait... Mazinsky... I think I've heard that name somewhere before..." The wolf soon said, calming down a little. 

"You might've known my mother, Miranda." Mike replied.

"Miranda... Yes... I know her and her mate, John..." The wolf said.

"What a small world," Cindy smiled. "I've always wanted to hear about Mike's parents."

"They with you?" The wolf asked Mike, referring to her group.

"Yeah." Mike nodded.

"Very well..." The wolf said. "I apologize, child of John and Miranda. My name is Nisha." 

"Nice to meet you," Mike replied. "These are my friends: Ashlyn Pitstop, Cindy Butler, Joanna Bell, Ellody Garcia, and her step-sister, Courtney Garcia."

"Are you all from the Man-Village?" Nisha asked them.

"Uh, no? We're from a place called Cartoon Network City." Ashlyn said. 

"Not to mention that we are lost." Courtney added in.

"I have never heard of this Cartoon Network City, but I suppose you could follow me to see my sister and her mate." Nisha told them as she walked off.

Mike soon followed after the female wolf and the others then followed behind her to meet the wolf pack. Courtney tried to get a signal from her PDA so she could get help, but it was no good.

"No good?" Ellody asked Courtney.

"No," Courtney shook her head. "Do you guys have those communicators?"

Jayna winced slightly, rubbing her arm. "We thought we shouldn't bring them since we would all be on vacation." 

"Wait... How did you know about our communicators?" Mike suspiciously asked Courtney.

"Well, I, um, accidentally hacked into the League's system." Courtney explained nervously.

"CourtNEY!" Cindy glared firmly.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again!" Courtney promised. "I didn't even mean to do it at that time!" 

"Hmm... You better not." Cindy replied.

"When did THIS kid grow a spine?" Courtney asked.

"She's had special training from us and her grandmother lately," Mike explained. "Sure, she still gets scared at SOME things, but it's not as bad as she used to, so I think this jungle adventure won't be too rough on her."

"I punched Sarah in the face, and I don't care what happens to me from it," Cindy glared. "If she wants to tell her mom, then fine! Let's see if her mother's status on the PTA gets her anywhere in the real world just because it matters now that we're all in school. I don't think so!" 

"Good luck with that." Courtney sighed.

"What do you mean by that?" Cindy asked.

"Because she's also part of the town council and so are Kevin's parents," Courtney explained. "If Mrs. Hill found out punched Sarah, your family would lose their jobs and house. They did that to Mindy McFarlane which is why she lives with Nazz now."

"And how do you know that?" Cindy asked.

"From my mom." Courtney said.

"So what am I supposed to do about that?" Cindy asked.

"You shouldn't have punched Sarah." Courtney said.

"Gee... Thanks..." Cindy crossed her arms. "And I was gonna spend the winter semester at that Avalanche Arts Academy with Zoey's cousin." 

"But... I think I can help you with that," Courtney then said. "Since my mom is part of the council."

"Really? Thank you." Cindy replied.

"However... That punch was awesome..." Courtney said bashfully.

"I'm getting tired of others pushing me around all the time, so I've been hanging out with my grandmother a lot lately." Cindy said.

Soon enough, they arrived at the wolf cave. 

"Excuse me, I shall talk with my sister Leah and her mate, Akela, I ask that you wait out here for me." Nisha told Mike and the others.

"We will." Mike nodded.

Nisha nodded back and went inside of the cave where the adult wolves were while the pups had gone out to play for the day before they would start hunting. The others then waited until Nisha would come back. 

"Akela... Leah..." Nisha said, coming to her family.

"Nisha, what is it?" Leah asked her sister.

"We have visitors... They appear to be human, but I know one of them is not." Nisha replied.

"Is it hunters?" Akela asked.

"No, they say they are lost and came here by accident," Nisha explained. "One of them is the child of John and Miranda, the people who visited here once 13 years ago." 

"Very well," Akela replied. "Bring them to us."

"Yes, Akela." Nisha nodded.

Mike and the others were still waiting.

"So, do all wolves know each other or...?" Courtney asked Mike.

"Yes and no..." Mike said. "I guess my parents came to this jungle once for vacation or something." 

"Ah, okay." Courtney said, now understanding.

Soon enough, Nisha came back to the others. "Akela wishes to see you all." she then told them.

"Thank you, Nisha." Mike said.

"I hope this Akela is friendly." Courtney said to herself.

They all soon came inside to meet the leader of the pack who was Akela and he looked to them as they came inside.

"Ah, you must be the daughter of John and Miranda Mazinsky." Akela said to the tomboy.

"Yes, sir, Mike Mazinsky." Mike replied.

"So, you knew Mike's parents?" Ashlyn asked.

"They came here on vacation a very long time ago..." Akela said. "I remember it well..."

"Are you going to have a flashback?" Cindy asked.

"Yes." Akela told her.

"Go ahead, I'm not going anywhere." Cindy said.

"...Very well then..." Akela said as he began to think back. "It was a very long time ago..."

Flashback

We are shown a young John and Miranda on a boat ride going through the jungle, leaving the city, and Miranda appeared to be pregnant.

"Ah, my darling John... I hope Jennifer and James will be okay back home." Miranda smiled as she fanned herself, holding her stomach a bit.

"I'm sure that they will be all right," John smiled back. "They're strong kids."

Miranda fanned herself as she looked around the jungle they had come to visit for a little couple's vacation.

After a while, the boat docked and John took his wife's hand as they soon came to dry land, looking to the village within the jungle.

"This jungle... It almost makes me think of the old days with Ookami..." Miranda smiled to the jungle.

John pulled out his camera to take pictures of the wildlife.

"Should we go in and say hello?" Miranda smiled to her husband.

"Hmm... Yes..." John smiled back. "I've always wanted to go to a village in a jungle. Their leader must be strong and protective though in case any animals wander into the village."

"I bet you would be a strong and protective village leader too~" Miranda smiled as she hugged her husband's arm, looking into his blue eyes, dreamily.

John just chuckled and kissed his wife's lips as they went into the village. Miranda held her stomach, breathing calmly.

"Now, now, Miranda, it'll be okay," John smiled. "The baby's not due for a long time now."

"I know, but it sometimes feels like they're going to come early, we haven't even thought about names or know if it'll be a boy or a girl." Miranda smiled back.

"Well, what ever they may be, we will love the baby just like James and Jennifer." John replied.

Miranda smiled and nodded as they arrived at the village. Many women were at home together while the men were talking or some had gone hunting in the forest to gather food for their families. Many people had surrounded one big and strong man who soon looked over.

"Greetings." John waved to the people.

The people looked to John and Miranda, not knowing them just yet.

"Are you... Mazinsky...?" The man asked.

"Yes..." John nodded. "My name is John and this is my wife, Miranda. We've come to stay here for a week."

"Ah... Yes... Welcome," The man said to him. "My name is Sanjay. This is my wife, Meshua." 

"Hello." The woman waved to the couple.

"It's nice to meet you." Miranda said to them.

"Come," Sanjay said. "I will show you where you will be staying."

John and Miranda followed the village leader and his wife. A toddler boy was shown to be with them.

"This is my son, Nathoo." Sanjay told them.

"Hello there, son," John smiled to the toddler. "Good to meet'cha."

Nathoo smiled and waved to John and Miranda.

"He looks just like you." John said to Sanjay.

"Yes, and I hope that he becomes a great leader someday when he's all grown up." Sanjay smiled.

Miranda looked out the window as Meshua showed her around as she hugged her stomach.

"Miranda, is something wrong?" Meshua asked her guest.

"Huh? Oh, nothing, I'm fine." Miranda replied.

"You seem distracted." Meshua said.

"It's just that I love animals so much..." Miranda said to her. "They ever come near the village?"

"Sometimes, but not very often." Meshua explained.

"You think that I could go over and see them?" Miranda asked hopefully.

"If that is what you want, then you are allowed to." Meshua allowed.

"Oh, thank you," Miranda smiled, hugging the woman. "Oh, your village is so beautiful too."

Meshua smiled back, hugging the pregnant woman back.

Miranda soon wandered into the jungle as John and Sanjay talked together, rubbing her stomach a little as she left the village and walked through the jungle, quietly and calmly as it reminded her of where she grew up in before she met John. She smiled as she saw the animals came out to greet her. She smiled and waved to them. It was almost as if she had a magic, natural touch when it came to the animals, but we all know that there's a very good reason for that.

"You must be the Jungle Cubs." Miranda chuckled as she saw a bear cub, a panther cub, and a young orangutan. 

"Smart human." The bear cub smiled to his friends.

There was a wolf pup came out of the cave and looked curiously at Miranda.

"Oh! Hello, there." Miranda smiled, looking down at the wolf pup.

The wolf pup came around Miranda, sniffing her almost like a dog which made her giggle a bit.

"So, who are you all?" Miranda smiled to the group of friends.

"I'm Baloo," The bear cub smiled back. "This here's Baggy--"

"Bagheera!" The panther cub glared.

"Yeah, sure, Bagheera, and this is Louis," The bear cub then smiled. "We're the Jungle Cubs. I didn't know people could talk to animals."

"Well, I'm actually not a human; I'm a wolf." Miranda clarified.

"You sure don't look like a wolf." Louis said to her.

"I become a wolf later on at night," Miranda told them. "I might show you later, but I don't know if you should. I'm going to have a baby."

"You have a baby?" Bagheera asked. "Where is it?"

"Right here." Miranda smiled, pointing to her stomach.

"You ATE your baby?!" Louis asked.

"No, no," Miranda laughed a little. "I'm a mammal, so I carry my baby in my tummy until it's ready to be born. He or she is supposed to be born in a few months, but I feel like they're going to come early."

"Ooh... I see..." Bagheera replied.

"And this is going to be my third child." Miranda smiled proudly.

Baloo put his paw up to Miranda's stomach and flinched as he felt something. "It moved!"

"Baby's probably kicking," Miranda smiled. "That happens sometimes."

"What do you think it's gonna be?" Baloo asked.

"I'm hoping that this one will be a girl." Miranda replied.

"What're you gonna call it?" Louis asked.

"I don't know, but I've always loved my grandmother's name, Michelene," Miranda smiled. "Where I come from, that means brave and strong fighter."

"Yeah, that's right." The wolf pup nodded.

"Oh, I never got your name, sweetie?" Miranda said to him.

"Akela," The wolf pup replied. "I'm gonna be an alpha one day just like my dad."

"That sounds like fun," Miranda smiled to him. "It's nice to meet you, Akela."

"We became fast friends." Akela's voice narrated as his pup self smiled back up to Miranda. 

"I can see why." Mike's voice chuckled.

After the week was over, it was time for John and Miranda to go back home.

"Do you have to go back?" Akela whimpered.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but I promise that I will come back as soon as I can." Miranda replied.

However before anything else could happen, Miranda let out a shriek.

"Miranda! What is it? Are you okay?!" John yelped as he came to his wife.

"The baby! I-I think it's coming!" Miranda told her husband.

"NOW?! But it's too early!" John said.

"Well, tell that to the baby!" Miranda told her husband.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go home now, we have to take care of this right away." Sanjay told his new friends.

"Please, let me help," Meshua said to them. "I think I know what to do."

John and Miranda soon came into the jungle with Meshua and Sanjay, taking the expecting couple over to an ancient temple which seemed to be abandoned, as Miranda breathed quickly and intensely due to being in labor.

"I can't believe it, the baby is coming this early!" John cried out. "That's impossible! ...Well, it IS possible, but I hope it'll be healthy!"

"Sometimes babies can be impatient, it's only the law of nature." Sanjay told John.

Eventually, Sanjay and Meshua had Miranda lying down and helped her as she was giving birth to another baby.

"No more after this one, John." Miranda begged as she held her husband's hand.

"You got yourself a deal, honey," John promised. "Three kids are enough for us."

Miranda squeezed his hand, making John wince slightly as she was of course stronger than most women due to her wolf DNA. The animals of the jungle seemed to watch through the windows as Miranda pushed the best that she could, until finally...

"Congratulations," Sanjay told the couple, taking out the newborn baby who had a tuft of red hair. "It's a girl."

Miranda had tears in her eyes as she was holding her newborn daughter. The jungle animals looked to each other and smiled from that.

End of Flashback

"And that's how I know your parents, even if they weren't originally from the Man-Village," Akela told Mike who wiped her eyes a bit to hear stories about her parents. "I should've recognized you. You look so much like your father, but you have your mother's eyes."

"That's what most people say." Mike replied.

"That was a beautiful story." Courtney said.

"I don't know how much we can help you survive out here since you're far from the Man-Village, but I suppose you could stick around," Akela said. "I've been making a decision though that I'm going to tell The Wolf Council later tonight."

"Why?" Mike asked. "What's going on?"

"Mowgli has to leave the pack so that Shere Khan doesn't go after him." Akela informed.

"Mowgli...?" Courtney asked. "No way... The story must be true then!"

"We called him Mowgli because he's like a frog," Akela informed. "He has no fur and he can never sit still."

"Uh, who's Shere Khan?" Ashlyn asked the alpha wolf.

"A tiger who hates humans and eats them," Akela explained. "The other animals are scared to go attack him."

"So I see..." Ashlyn said.

"You should probably go to the man village with Mowgli after tonight too." Akela told them.

"Well, we're not afraid of a little old tiger as long as we have Mike," Courtney said. "Right, Mike?"

"We'll see..." Mike said before holding her stomach. "Man, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since breakfast before we all met up at the summer resort docks for the cruise."

"Well, you're welcome to join us for dinner." Akela invited.

"Thank you." Mike replied.

"You have other stuff besides meat, right?" Cindy asked. "I mean, not all of us can eat raw meat like Mike can."

"There are some fruits and vegetables too." Akela told her.

"Hmm... I guess that helps," Cindy said. "Just no offense, but we're not ALL part wolf like Mike is, and I promise that we won't hunt or poach you."

Mike gave a small smile as this seemed to be going well so far even if they didn't find any people. At least, not yet.

"I just hope that everyone else is okay." Jayna hoped.

"I'm sure that they are fine." Courtney replied.

"Well, Courtney, it's good to see this side of you," Jayna said. "Also, I'm sorry, but WHAT were you doing out in the rain before the storm hit? That was kind of stupid. I mean, you could've gotten hurt or sick."

"I'm sorry, but I was having too much fun and I didn't want anything to ruin it for me." Courtney replied.

"I guess, but the rain really would've, especially with reading your magazine." Ashlyn mumbled.

"I'm just glad that you learned a lesson in humility." Cindy said.

"Thank you." Courtney replied.

Later on, Akela told the other wolves that they had guests and told them to behave around them and not to bother them until they could get a way back home. Mike ate more than everyone else since it had been a while since she last had meat and she was soon full.

"So, uh, Mike, you think we should see the announcement that Akela has to make for the other wolves?" Ellody asked.

"Possibly," Mike shrugged. "He did say we would be allowed to if we wanted."

"You gonna go?" Courtney asked.

"Yeah," Mike nodded. "Might as well see how it goes. It might be tough on Rama and Raksha though since they adopted and raised Mowgli."

Soon enough, the others looked at each other, shrugging, before following Mike to see the Wolf Council. Mike sat down with the wolves and her friends sat down with her as it was night time now.

"Now, are we all in agreement as to what must be done?" Akela told his fellow wolves. "Now it is my unpleasant duty to tell the boy's father."

The other wolves looked to each other in concern.

"Rama! Come over here, please." Akela called to the wolf who adopted and raised Mowgli as his own son.

Rama soon walked over to the alpha. "Yes, Akela?"

"The council has reached its decision," Akela replied. "The Man Cub can no longer stay with the pack. He must leave at once."

"Leave?" Rama gasped.

"Ooh..." Mike winced slightly as she knew that had to be rough on Rama.

"I am sorry, Rama," Akela told him. "There is no other way."

"B-But the Man-Cub i-is like my own son," Rama frowned. "Surely he's entitled to the protection of the pack."

"But, Rama, even the strength of the pack is no match of the tiger." Akela told the other wolf.

"But the boy cannot survive alone in the jungle." Rama frowned.

"Akela?" A panther spoke up as he was shown to be in a tree, listening to the wolf pack. "Perhaps I can be of help?"

"You, Bagheera?" Akela asked the panther. "How?"

"I know of a man-village where he'll be safe," Bagheera told the alpha wolf. "Mowgli and I have taken many walks into the jungle together. I'm sure he'll go with me."

Akela thought it over and soon agree with the panther. "So be it. Now there's no time to lose. Good luck."

"Maybe our friends are over at the village." Jayna said.

"Maybe." Mike shrugged.

"Mike... Would your friends like to join Bagheera?" Akela asked.

"Well, I'll go anyway," Mike said. "Thank you, Akela."

"We'll go with her too," Cindy told the wolf. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"You're welcome." Akela replied.

And so, they left the wolf pack and soon found a boy with a mop of black hair in a red loincloth.

"Mowgli..." Courtney whispered to herself. 

"So, do you know what happened to his real parents?" Mike asked her.

"My dad told me in his story that they died in a canoe accident from a crocodile named Jacala." Courtney replied.

"And that's when Bagheera found him and took him to the wolf pack?" Ellody guessed.

"Yes, that's right." Courtney nodded.

"I guess your dad knew a lot more than he was saying." Ashlyn said.

"Luckily Mowgli is nice... At least from the story I grew up with." Courtney told them.

The girls then followed the panther and the boy who was on his back.


	4. Chapter 4

Mike looked around with the other girls as they traveled through the jungle at night.

"Bagheera, I'm getting a little sleepy," Mowgli said, tiredly. "Shouldn't we start back home?"

"Mowgli, this time we're not going back," Bagheera told the boy. "I'm taking you to a man-village."

"But, why?" Mowgli asked.

"Because, Shere Khan has returned to this part of the jungle, and he has sworn to kill you." Bagheera told him.

"Kill me? But why would he wanna do that?" Mowgli asked.

"He hates men," Bagheera told him. "And Shere Khan is not going to allow you to grow up to become a man; just another hunter with a gun." 

"Uhh, we'll just explain him that I'd never do a thing like that." Mowgli shrugged with a smile as he came off of the panther's back.

"Nonsense! No one explains anything to Shere Khan!" Bagheera told him.

"Well, maybe so. But I'm not afraid. And besides I--" Mowgli defended.

"Now that's enough," Bagheera told Mowgli. "We'll spend a night here. Things will look better in the morning."

Mowgli looked very upset about leaving his wolf family as he looked back to home.

"Poor kid." Mike frowned for the feral boy.

"Man Cub? Man Cub!" Bagheera called to Mowgli to get him to keep following after. "Now come on, up this tree. It's safer up there."

"Uh, I don't want to go back to the man-village." Mowgli said to the panther.

"Go on," Bagheera told the feral boy. "Up you go."

"That limb way up there?" Mowgli asked.

"Try." Bagheera told him.

Mowgli tried to climb the tree-trunk, but couldn't.

"Here, kid, lemme help ya out." Mike offered.

"Thank you." Mowgli said.

"What're friends for?" Mike replied as she began to help out Mowgli.

"There we are, no harm done," Bagheera said, soon leaping up to the branch after Mowgli. "Now, get some sleep. We've got a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

"I wanna stay in the jungle." Mowgli pouted.

"Huh? heh, you wouldn't last one day." Bagheera replied.

"I am not afraid," Mowgli huffed. "I can look after myself."

"Kids today." Mike muttered to herself.

Mike and the others began to set up a campsite for themselves on the ground that night.

"Might as well get some sleep," Courtney said. "We've all had a long day." 

"She's right," Cindy yawned. "I'm tired anyway."

The others soon came into their sleeping bags while Mowgli and Bagheera would sleep in the tree as they all had a long day, especially with the accident on the cruise ship.

A snake soon slithered out from the tree and smirked towards Mowgli. "Sssssay now. What have we here? Mmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm. It'ssss a Man-Cub! A delicioussss, delectable Man-Cub!" He then looked over to the girls as well. "Oh, look... More humanssssss.... Musssssst be my lucky day."

"Oh, go away and leave us alone." Mowgli complained, shoving against the snake.

"Oh, that's just what I should do, but I'm not," Bagheera told Mowgli, overhearing that and thinking that the boy was talking about him. "Now, please, go to sleep, Man Cub."

"Yesssss, Man-cub. Pleassssse.....Go to sssssleeeep!~" The snake smirked as he had hypnotic rings in his eyes around Mowgli. 

"Please keep it down," Courtney grunted. "We're trying to sleep."

Mowgli saw the rings in the snake's eyes, and started looking dazed, with his eyes widening with the same rings appearing in them also. It was obvious the snake was hypnotizing him, as the boy's arms went limp and dropped down and he couldn't look away. During this time, the snake wrapped his tail around him.

"Pleasssse go to sssssleeeep! Ssssssleep, little Man Cub~" The snake sang while entrancing the boy. "Ressssst in peacccce! Ssssleep! Ssssleep~ Your new friends will join you later, I assure you. Heheheh..." The snake's tail was up to the boy's neck, and the latter tried to stay up, but was failing. "He won't be here in the morning~"

"Huh? Oh, yes, he will..." Bagheera said in his sleep, but then woke up to see the snake moving Mowgli into his mouth before hitting the snake. "KAA!"

"Oooh! My ssssssinussss!" Kaa glared at the panther and decided to advance in on him. "You have jusssst made a sssserious missstake. A very sssssstupid--" 

"Now, now, now, Kaa, I was--" Bagheera smiled nervously to the snake.

"Mistake!" Kaa continued to glare at the panther. "Look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you."

"P-Please, Kaa--" Bagheera shuddered.

"Both eyes if you please," Kaa glowered. "You have just ss-sealed your doom." 

Bagheera got fully hypnotyzed and sat still. Mowgli, meanwhile, was pushing Kaa's coils off the branch. 

The others were still asleep during all of this, though Courtney woke up and looked around and gasped. "Kaa!"

Kaa was about to eat the panther until his coils fell off of the branch, taking the snake with them while hitting his head on a few branches in the process. He then fell down on the ground hard, being surrounded in his own coils.

"Mowgli, are you okay?" Courtney asked the boy.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine." Mowgli told her after he got free from Kaa. 

"Look, Bagheera! Heh-heh, look, Bagheera?" Mowgli laughed before hitting the panther's cheeks. "Wake up, Bagheera."

"Kaa used to give me nightmares as a kid... I mean... Just thinking about him..." Courtney said before shuddering in memories of her father's bedtime stories.

"Huh? What?" Bagheera blinked, snapping out of his trance.

"Just you wait 'til I get you in my coils." Kaa glared in misfortune.

"Guys, he's got a knot in his tail!" Mowgli laughed at the snake.

"Ooh, this is gonna slow down my slithering!" Kaa complained.

Mowgli laughed at the snake's misfortune.

"So you can look out for yourself, can you?" Bagheera asked Mowgli. "So, you want to stay in the jungle, do you?"

"Yes, I want to stay in the jungle." Mowgli told the panther.

"Of course he does." Courtney remarked.

"Now for the last time, go to sleep!" Bagheera soon told Mowgli.

Mowgli pouted and went to go to sleep in the tree as Kaa got away, a bit miserable from his dilemma.

"Stubborn little Man Cub..." Bagheera grumbled to himself as he soon went to get some sleep.

"Don't worry, Mowgli, it's gonna get better, I promise." Courtney whispered as she soon went to go back to sleep with the others. 

Ellody soon looked up to the night sky as she was worried about her friends and her boyfriend with a sigh, "Please be all right."

Meanwhile, the others soon found land that night, not aware that Mike and the others were there.

"Land!" Eddy beamed, running out and kissing the ground in relief. "Sweet land!" 

"Sweet mother of relief!" Scott added.

"I'm hungry." Ed said.

"So, uh, Smart Guys, where are we?" Lightning asked.

"Hmm... According to this tracker we made, we're in India." Og said as he looked at the device he made with Double D, Maxwell, Otto, and Dexter.

"See, guys? I told you that--" Eddy replied until he caught what the island native boy said. "Did you say India?"

"Yes." Og nodded.

"Well, we definitely are further away from home than I thought we would be." Maxwell remarked.

"Oh, great!" Eddy groaned. "That means no food!"

"Eddy..." June said.

"No water!" Eddy continued. "We'll die of dehydration!"

"Eddy!" Double D called out.

"Then that means we'll have to eat Chicken to survive!" Eddy continued.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Chicken asked.

"Well, yeah?" Eddy replied.

"It's not really funny." Chicken rolled his eyes. 

"EDDY!" The others called out.

"Okay, I know that wasn't very funny, but I'm desperate!" Eddy said.

Ed then slapped him across the face.

"Thanks, Ed, I needed that." Eddy then said, calming down.

"Besides, look," Double D said, turning Eddy's head. "There's a village here. I'm sure someone around here can help us out."

"That's a good idea, Double D." June agreed with her boyfriend.

"They better have some food." Lu glared.

They soon wandered into the village which was called Seeonee. There were children who were playing together while women did chores such as laundry, cooking, or cleaning before they looked over to see that they had some company. A boy who was around the age of four in a blue loincloth ran by and looked over at them.

"Reminds me of your mom's history books in the old days before Mike even came to the island." Lu said to Og.

"Hmm..." Og blinked.

"Hey! Hello?! We're lost!" Eddy called out.

The boy looked at them, backing up a bit.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt ya, I wanna talk to ya." Eddy told him.

The boy soon ran off at first.

"Well, that went fabulously." Eddy rolled his eyes.

Eventually, the boy soon came back with his father who was Sanjay.

"May I... Help you?" Sanjay asked the group.

"Forgive us, sir, but we're lost." Double D told him.

"And hungry!" Lu added.

"What's your WiFi password?" Eddy asked.

The others glanced at him.

"I am sorry, this is not a hotel, but you can possibly stay with me and my wife Meshua and our son, Ranjan." Sanjay said to them.

"It's better than nothing, I guess." Chicken shrugged.

"Please, follow me." Sanjay told them.

The others followed the village leader. A young girl was shown to be with her mother with long black hair tied with hair ribbons in low pigtails and golden hooped earrings, in a pink dress, looking over.

"Good day, Sanjay." The girl's mother greeted.

"Good day, Zahara." Sanjay greeted the woman.

"Who are these strange characters?" Zahara asked.

"They appear to be lost travelers." Sanjay said to her.

"I hope you have room for them, if not, then Shanti, Ritesh, and I wouldn't mind some extra room." Zahara told him.

"Thank you, Zahara, Meshua and I will see what we can do... Especially since we have a free extra room..." Sanjay said softly about having an extra bedroom in his house.

Zahara nodded as she went inside with her daughter as Sanjay brought Eddy and the others into his and Meshua's home along with their young son Ranjan who stared at them since he didn't know them. Meshua looked to her husband.

"Meshua, we have visitors who are in need of shelter." Sanjay told his wife.

"Very well, I will make some food for our visitors." Zahara decided.

"Thank you." Sanjay nodded.

The group soon came inside and looked all around.

"I'm very sorry if it is not fancy, but I can tell you come from the big city." Sanjay said to the group.

"Yeah, we're looking for our friends," Eddy said. "A girl with ginger head that dresses in mostly red, a little girl in glasses who usually has her pet possum with her, a punk girl, a Hispanic nerdy teenage girl, and another teenage girl that has purple eyes."

"Sorry, I can't say that we've seen them." Sanjay replied.

"Dang... They must be further away..." Eddy said.

"You should all stay for the night," Meshua invited. "You look very hungry and tired."

"Ya don't know the have of it." Chicken said.

"Then I'll prepare dinner for you all," Meshua told them. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."

Everyone soon came to get settled into the home which was the biggest home in the village since Sanjay was the leader.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Double D said. "I just hope that we can find our friends."

"I hope you do too since they seem important to you." Meshua smiled.

"They are." Jade nodded.

"I miss them so much!" Dee Dee cried out.

"It's going to be okay, Dee Dee," Ed said to his girlfriend. "No matter what happens or what anybody says, I'll be sure that we find them, no matter what it takes!"

"Wow, Ed, that's sweet." Dee Dee smiled to him.

Ed smiled back and hugged his girlfriend.

"Are you guys warriors?" Ranjan soon spoke up.

"Hey, that kid talked." Eddy said.

"Sorry... My parents say to never talk to people I don't know." Ranjan said to them.

"My mom says the same thing too." Dee Dee replied.

"I'm gonna be a brave and strong leader like my dad someday!" Ranjan smiled.

"I'm sure ya will, partner." Jade giggled.

"I can't wait!" Ranjan smiled.

Jade giggled to him with a smile back.

Eventually, everyone had some dinner which was okay, but not as good as home cooking back home, and they were soon going to sleep that night.

"I hope we can find Mike and the others." Ed frowned.

"Me too!" Dee Dee cried.

"We will, you guys, I can promise you that." June replied.

"Just try to get some sleep and not worry about it too much," Maxwell said. "My gramps says that worrying can make you sick and keep you up all night. He has some wise moments some of the times." 

Dee Dee and Ed looked at each other and soon fell asleep.

Maxwell gave a small smile, though he took out something he had kept hidden from the others and showed that it was a locket with pictures of himself and Cindy to give to the girl later. "Soon, Cindy, we'll be back together again, I'm sure, and I'm going to show you how much I love you." he then whispered to himself.

Lightning was soon crying since he missed Ellody. The group in the village did their best to get some sleep while Mike and the others with her did their best to sleep in the jungle that night.


	5. Chapter 5

Eventually, the next morning came for everyone. Everyone was fast asleep until the ground began to shake a little and some chanting was heard. 

There was a group of elephants who were marching together. "Hup! Two! Three! Four! Keep it up! Two! Three! Four! Hup! Two! Three! Four! Keep it up! Two! Three! Four!" they then chanted together.

Mowgli soon woke up to see what was going on. "A parade!"

"Oh, no..." Bagheera groaned. "The Dawn Patrol again."

Mowgli gets down on the ground to get a closer look. 

"Dawn Patrol...?" Mike mumbled, a bit sleepily.

Mowgli soon swung down with a vine onto the ground, running to see the elephants up close.

"It's too early to get up." Cindy groaned.

"I'm sorry, I should've warned you all," Bagheera said to them. "The Dawn Patrol does this all the time with Colonel Hathi."

"Who's that?" Mike asked groggily.

"The leader of the elephant pack." Bagheera told her.

"Company, sound off!" Colonel Hathi announced.

"Oh the aim of our patrol, Is a question rather dull!, For to march and drill over field and hill~" The elephants continued to sing as they marched along the jungle.

"Is a military goal!"

"Is a military goal~"

Mowgli looked closely enough to see the elephants passing by him, then he saw a small elephant with what looked like a tuft of brown hair, following the other elephants. He was Colonel Hathi's young son, Junior. The boy then rushed up to the young elephant, coming beside him.

"Hello, what are you doing?" Mowgli asked the elephant calf.

"Shh, drilling." Junior told him quietly. 

"Can I do it too?" Mowgli asked.

"Sure, just do what I do, but no talking in ranks," Junior told him. "It's against regulations."

The boy nodded as he got behind the elephant calf on all fours and began marching as well. Mowgli walked after Junior in the rear of the file.

"To the rear... March!" Colonel Hathi commanded.

As they walked to the rear, Junior and Mowgli collided.

"The other way," Junior told Mowgli. "Turn around."

"Hup, two, three, four~" Colonel Hathi chanted.

"Well, this sure brings back memories..." Mike said, watching the elephants.

"Oh, yeah?" Courtney asked. "Like what?"

"Well, there was that one time when Lu wanted an elephant to ride on and then we made like a car wash for the elephants to go through." Mike began.

"What happened after that?" Courtney asked.

"Chaos happened," Mike sighed a bit. "The islanders were pretty upset, the elephants loved being dirty, so we left them alone after that."

"Gosh..." Courtney replied.

"Then there was that time with Abelard." Mike then said.

"And who's Abelard?" Courtney asked.

"He's another elephant," Mike said. "I had to win this croquet/polo game up against Lu to win The Lady Smythe Trophy from the island in a competition. They call it 'The Big Game'."

"Sounds like you've had some crazy adventures on that island." Courtney replied.

"You have no idea." Mike told her.

"To the rear... March!" Colonel Hathi told his elephant army.

Just then, the elephants turn around, making Junior collide into Mowgli, who pushed him forward. 

"The other way, turn around." Junior told Mowgli.

The feral boy nodded as he turned around to copy his new friend.

"That means 'stop'." Junior told Mowgli.

"Company... Left face!" Colonel Hathi called out.

"March, march, march," A female elephant grumbled. "My feet are killing me."

"I am putting in for a transfer to another herd." Another elephant said to her.

"Silence in the ranks!" Colonel Hathi commanded as he then walked along in the group.

That silenced all the other elephants, before he went behind them.

"Dress up that line. Pull it in, Winifred Inspection... Arms!" Colonel Hathi told his army.

The elephants stood up straight while raising their rears, but Winifred was the only one who didn't, so the lead elephant smacks her on the butt with his twig, making her yelp in alarm and annoyance as she straighten immediately.

"Who's the lady elephant?" Mike asked.

"Colonel Hathi's mate, Winifred." Bagheera told her.

"I see." Mike then nodded.

The other elephants all stuck their trunks up, except of course for Mowgli.

"Stick your nose out." Junior told Mowgli.

"Like this?" Mowgli asked, trying to stick his nose out.

"That's right." Junior told him.

Mike chuckled a little as she watched this with Courtney.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk. Dusty muzzle," Colonel Hathi tutted to one elephant. "Soldier, remember in battle that trunk can save your life. Take good care of it, my man."

"Yes, sir!" The elephant replied with a salute.

"Very good, carry on. Ahem. Hmm..." Colonel Hathi said as he came up to another elephant who appeared to be eating something and he soon made him stop. "Let's have a little more spit and polish on those bayonets."

"Yes, sir!" The elephant replied with a gulp.

"Esprit de Corps!" Colonel Hathi continued. "That's the way I earned my commission in the Maharajah's pachyderm parade. Back in '88, it was, or was it '87?"

"Here we go again... The Victoria-Cross bit." Winifred sighed to herself.

"It was then I received the Victorian Cross for bravery above and beyond." Colonel Hathi reminisced.

Winifred looked quite annoyed with her mate as he droned on for a while. The elephant was leaning on his bamboo baton while saying this, but then it broke in half, making him almost fall over in the progress. Mike snickered a little quietly as she continued to watch.

"Oh.. Where was I? Oh, yes. Inspection," Colonel Hathi then said before looking to the other elephants. "Well, very good. Wipe off that silly grin, soldier. This is the army. Ahem. Eyes front. Tsk-tsk-tsk. Lieutenant, that haircut is not regulation. Rather on the gaudy side, don't you think?" he then cut his hair using his bamboo stick. "There. That's better. And as for you--" he then looked down to the see the elephant calf next who was his child which made him chuckle. "Oh, there you are, son. Heh. Let's keep those heels together, shall we?"

"Okay, Pop!" Junior replied. "...Sir!"

"That's better," Colonel Hathi approved before going over to Mowgli. "Well, new recruit, eh? Ha-ha-ha... I say, what happened to your trunk?" he then pushed Mowgli's face with his stick.

"Hey, stop that!" Mowgli complained.

The elephant yelped in alarm and disbelief, recognizing what creature Mowgli really was. "A Man Cub?! This is treason! Sabotage! I'll have no man cub in my jungle!"

"It's not YOUR jungle." Mowgli retorted.

"Hold it! Hold it, I can explain, Hathi!" Bagheera arrived quickly into the scene. 

"Colonel Hathi, if you please, sir." The lead elephant replied.

"Oh, yes, yes. Colonel Hathi," Bagheera said to him. "The Man Cub is with me. I'm taking him back to the Man Village."

"To stay?" Colonel Hathi asked.

"You have the word of Bagheera." The black panther promised.

"Good. And remember, an elephant never forgets," Colonel Hathi replied before he turned around to leave. "Hmph! I don't know what the army's coming to. These young whippersnappers, who do they think they are?"

"Rude, much?" Courtney huffed.

"I wouldn't get involved unless you wanna become a pancake," Mike told Courtney. "So, you don't like it when someone bosses you around and takes change and advantage of their power because of their status like it's the most important thing in the world?"

"Yeah! How can anyone live with that?" Courtney complained.

"Why don't you ask Leshawna's friend Jasmine Banks from the last school play when Ms. Honeydew let you become assistant director?" Mike crossed her arms to teach Courtney a lesson.

"Well, I, um, just wanted the play to be perfect?" Courtney replied nervously.

"By yelling at the littlest mistakes just because you were jealous that Jasmine got the lead that time and you didn't since you were competing?" Mike replied.

"Well, I, um--" Courtney stammered.

"Oh, I know," Mike then said. "How about that time you made Cindy be your slave because you knew her secret?"

"Was I really that horrible?" Courtney asked.

"Yes, and I'm not just talking about those times when you and Sugar would team up to steal Lightning and Scott away from Ellody and Jade." Mike nodded firmly.

"Well, Ellody can have that dumb jock." Courtney shrugged.

"Oh, and how about this?" Mike then said. "When you tried to steal Justin from Jayna and tried to tell everyone her secret identity?"

"Okay. Okay. I was a horrible person." Courtney gave in.

Mike then put her hands on her hips.

"You win." Courtney sighed.

"I almost always do," Mike replied. "Come on, let's go to the others. We should probably keep moving anyway."

The two girls soon woke up the other girls so they could get a move on.

"I didn't do it!" Ashlyn yelped as she woke up. "Oh. Hey, gang."

"I think now would be a good time to get back on track with Bagheera." Mike suggested.

"Hmm... All right..." Ashlyn said, rubbing her eyes as she got up with the other girls.

Cindy yawned as she stretched, cracking her back.

"What happened?" Ellody asked.

"Eh, you didn't miss much." Mike shrugged.

Jayna stood up, stretching as she put on her glasses. 

"Hey, an elephant march." Ellody observed.

"I still think of Lu wanting to ride on an elephant's back after she got tired with Lancelot once," Mike sighed. "Those were simple times."

"Oh, yeah, I've heard stories about that." Cindy replied.

"I never noticed." Courtney said.

"Well, you never wanted to be OUR friends." Mike reminded.

"Yeah... I guess that's a good point..." Courtney said, rubbing her arm. 

"You were really a nice girl, Courtney, we would really like the old you back." Jayna said.

"I know, I'm trying to get back to my old self, but I keep having these visions about Duncan cheating on me," Courtney sighed. "It makes me really upset."

"Well, you can't let that stand in your way," Cindy said. "Yeah, Duncan cheated on you. No offense, but I could never see you two being together forever, like maybe as a one year thing. I know that's not helpful, but you'll find someone new in your life who will make you feel like a real Princess in your own fairy tale, and you'll get back on your feet someday, and we'll be sure to tell the others once we get back home in the city so you can start over by taking the next step in your new life."

"Yeah," Mike added in agreement. "If May, Marie, Nazz, and Jimmy can change, so can you."

"I can try." Courtney shrugged.

"Trying is the first step." Cindy said.

"Cindy, that was all so beautiful, who told you all of that?" Ellody asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Cindy shrugged.

"Was it your grandmother?" Mike guessed.

Cindy shook her head.

"Was it your uncle?" Mike then asked.

Cindy then nodded.

"No way!" Mike replied. "HE said THAT?!"

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me." Cindy laughed, but it was true.

"Come on, Cin, you gotta be kidding." Mike told her.

"I wish I was, Mike." Cindy still laughed.

The elephants soon rammed into each other before turning around. Cindy snickered from that before laughing with the others as it looked pretty funny.

"Hey, what're they doing?" Ellody asked.

"Ooh, I think I know." Cindy said as she saw Junior talking with Mowgli.

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a colonel," Junior smiled to the feral boy. "Just like my--" he was then cut off as he was suddenly picked up by his father's trunk.

"If I told you once, I've told you a thousand times--" Colonel Hathi scolded his calf.

Junior soon saw the other elephants still marching against his father. "Pop! Look out!"

The elephants soon crashed into each other.

"Gee, Pop," Junior smiled to his father. "You forgot to say 'halt'."

"He's so adorable." Ellody smiled to the elephant calf.

"Yeah, he is." Courtney had to agree with her step-sister.

The two soon looked to each other as it seemed like they actually agreed on something for the first time.

Mowgli was soon laughing to Bagheera and the others. "He said an elephant never forgets."

Bagheera gave him a look which made him stop laughing before he talked again, "It's not funny. Let's get out of here quick before anything else happens." he then said before running off into the forest with him and the others to keep going to the Man Village.

"Bagheera, where are we going?" Mowgli asked the panther.

"You're going back to the Man Village right now, along with these girls." Bagheera replied.

"I am not going." Mowgli argued. 

"Oh, yes you are." Bagheera argued back.

"I am staying right here!" Mowgli protested.

"You're going if I have to drag you every step away!" Bagheera glared as he stalked towards the feral boy.

"Come on, kid, don't make this harder than it has to be," Mike said. "It'll be safer for you in the village."

"I don't care!" Mowgli glared as he hugged onto a small tree.

Bagheera soon bit onto Mowgli's loincloth to pull him off of the tree. "Let go, you--" he then muffled. 

"You, let go of me!" Mowgli complained, kicking the panther's face.

Bagheera then let go, fell into water and while getting up, hit his head against a log.

"Ooh... Um... You okay, Bagheera?" Cindy asked the panther.

"Oh, that does it! I've had it, Man Cub," Bagheera glared to Mowgli. "From now on, you're on your own. Alone, and these girls are staying with you!" 

"Don't worry about us!" Mowgli replied.

"Wait, what?!" Ashlyn asked.

"H-Hey! You can't leave us!" Cindy cried out. "We have to get home!"

"He's your responsibility now, I'm finished with him!" Bagheera said as he stormed off.

"No, wait, come back!" Courtney cried out.

Bagheera just ignored them and continued to walk away from them. "Foolish Man Cub." he then mumbled to himself.

"Mike, go get that panther!" Ashlyn said.

"Maybe this will Mowgli will learn something." Mike replied, not going after Bagheera.

"What?!" Ashlyn replied. "But he's the only one who knows where the Man Village is!"

"Well, who says we won't be able to find it?" Mike shrugged. "I'm sure maybe some other animals know the way."

"I'm not going back to the Man Village," Mowgli replied. "I'm staying right here."

"What about Shere Khan?" Cindy asked.

"I'm not scared of him," Mowgli said. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, let's see how long that lasts." Mike mumbled to herself.

"Maybe YOU guys are the ones scared of Shere Khan." Mowgli huffed.

"I've seen worse things in Ed's room." Mike replied.

"Don't be like this, Mowgli, we'll help you." Courtney told the feral boy.

Mowgli sat down near some rocks with his head low until he heard a sound from the nearby bushes.

"I can't say I blame him for feeling like this," Mike said to the other girls. "I mean, Bagheera just took him away from the only home he's ever known."

"I'm just surprised he's not meat hungry crazy like you get all the time and you have some human moments despite having a wolf for a mother." Ashlyn smirked a bit, crossing her arms at the tomboy.

Mike rolled her eyes a bit from that.


	6. Chapter 6

A gray bear soon came by, singing a song. 

"Hey, it's a bear." Cindy said.

"Maybe he's Yogi's cousin." Courtney joked.

"Doo-bee doo-bee doo-bee dee-doo, Well, it's a doo-bah-dee-do, Yes, it's a doo-bah-dee-do, I mean a doo-be doo-bee doo-be, Doo-be doo-bee doo, And with--~" The bear sang to himself until he saw Mowgli. "Well now, ha-ha! What have we here?" he then sniffled the feral boy. "Hmm... Hey, what a funny little bit of a--"

Mowgli just slapped him.

"Ow!" The bear complained.

"That wasn't very nice." Cindy glared a bit.

"Go away!" Mowgli complained.

"Oh, boy, I've seen everything in these woods, what have I run on?" The bear replied, looking at him. "What a pretty thing this is!"

"Leave me alone." Mowgli moaned.

"Well, now, that's pretty big talk, Little Britches." The bear said to the feral boy.

"I'm big enough!" Mowgli huffed and he started hitting the bear in the stomach repeatedly, but the bear almost didn't even notice that.

Mike was about to stop Mowgli, but she saw that the bear wasn't bothered.

"Must be Baloo." Courtney soon said.

"Yogi's cousin?" Cindy smirked.

"Okay, I'll stop." Courtney rolled her eyes, but playfully.

The bear chuckled before shaking his head. "Pitiful. Hey, kid, you need help. And old Baloo is gonna learn you to fight like a bear. Now come on, I'm gonna show you. Grrr." he then stood up and started to dance around, and Mowgli, lightening up, began mimicking Baloo's moves. "Ha, yeah! All right now, kid, loosen up, get real loosen, then start to weave, weave a little, now move, that's it. Now give me a big bear growl, scare me!"

Mowgli then made a barely audible growl.

Baloo tutted from that. "Oh, boy... I'm talking about like a big bear!"

"Care to demonstrate?" Mike asked the bear.

"Well, sure!" Baloo replied. He then made a growl which rocks the jungle to the bottom and even Bagheera, who was walking away, all this time hears it.

"He's in trouble," Bagheera panicked and soon ran back to Mowgli and the girls. "I shouldn't have left him alone!"

"Grrr." Mowgli growled.

"GRRR!" Baloo growled back.

"Grrr."

"A big one, right from your toes." Baloo told Mowgli.

"How was that?" Mowgli smiled to the bear.

Bagheera soon arrived as Mowgli continued to growl while Baloo laughed to him.

"Yeah, you're getting it, kid." Baloo smiled to the feral boy.

"Oh, no, it's Baloo!" Bagheera replied in dismay. "That shiftless, stupid jungle bum!"

Baloo and Mowgli soon danced around together as the others soon joined in.

"Weave about, now look for an opening," Baloo told Mowgli. "Keep movin', keep--"

Mowgli then took some swings at Baloo's nose, but missed.

"Ha-ha! Ya, you're getting it kid, ha-ha," Baloo laughed. "Come on, that's it. He's a dandy!" he then playfully slapped Mowgli which sent him rolling around and leaves knocked out on the ground.

"You should try some of these moves at the Saturday Block Party." Mike chuckled to herself.

"That was a fun time," Ashlyn laughed in memory. "Especially when Cindy busted out some of her own moves."

"Everyone was shocked about what I could do." Cindy chuckled.

"Heh. Fine teacher you are, Old Iron Paws." Bagheera chuckled as he came back.

"Oh thanks, Bagheera." Baloo smiled to the panther.

"Oh, you two know each other well?" Ashlyn asked.

"We're old friends actually," Baloo said. "When we were cubs of course, but that was a long, long time ago."

"Yeah, tell me after you know your pupil senseless, how do you expect him to remember the lesson?" Bagheera soon asked Baloo.

Mowgli, at this time already, came to and sat on the ground, shaking his head.

"Well, I-I didn't mean to lay it on him so hard." Baloo remarked.

"You okay, Mowgli?" Ellody asked the feral boy.

"I'm not hurt, I'm all right," Mowgli said as he walked to Baloo, though kind of unsteadily. "I'm a lot tougher than some people think." "You better believe it!" Baloo smiled to him. "Now let's go once more. Now you keep ciclin' or I'm gonna knock your roof in again, you better keep movin'--"

Mowgli then hit Baloo into his lower jaw.

Baloo then playfully laid down. "Hey! Right on the button!"

Mowgli climbed on him, and occasionally tickling him with his feet.

"Ah, ha-ha, no, no-no, now you're tickling!" Baloo then laughed.

"I think this is the start of a wonderful friendship." Ellody remarked.

"Indeed." Courtney nodded as she knew that it was.

"Now that's all he needs," Bagheera said as he watched the bear and the boy bonding together. "More confidence."

"Give up, Baloo?" Mowgli smirked.

"I give up, I told ya. Oh, I give--" Baloo replied which then made Mowgli stop, but he still laughed a bit. "Hey, ha-ha. You know something? You're all right, kid. What do they call you?"

"His name is Mowgli." Courtney stated.

"That's right," Bagheera added. "And he's going back to the Man Village right now."

"Man Village?" Baloo complained. "They'll ruin 'im! They'll make a man out of 'im!" 

"Oh, Baloo, I want to stay here with you!" Mowgli told the bear.

"Certainly you do." Baloo smiled.

"Oh? And just how do you think you will survive?" Bagheera asked.

Baloo imitated the panther with an eye roll. "What do you mean 'How do you think you will'? He's with me, any, And I'll learn him all I know."

"Well, heh, that shouldn't take too long." Bagheera rolled his eyes.

Baloo glared at Bagheera and then turned over to Mowgli. "Look, now it's like this, Little Britches. All you've got to do is," Baloo told Mowgli before he began to sing. "Look for the bare necessities, The simple bare necessities, Forget about your worries and your strife, I mean the bare necessities, Are Mother Nature's recipes, That bring the bare necessities of life, Wherever I wander, Wherever I roam, I couldn't be fonder, Of my big home, The bees are buzzing in the tree, To make some honey just for me, When you look under the rocks and plants, And take a glance at the fancy ants, Then maybe try a few~"

"You eat ants?" Cindy asked the bear.

"Ha-ha, you better believe it!" Baloo chuckled before calling out to the black panther. "And you're gonna love the way they tickle. Hey Baggy, you hungry?"

The rock almost fell on Mowgli, worrying the black panther. "Mowgli, look out!"

Mowgli lifted his head in time as the rock fell right on the ground as he soon began to try to eat an ant, but it kept crawling around his body.

"The bare necessities of life will come to you~" Baloo continued to sing.

"When?" Mowgli asked as he kept missing the ant.

"They'll come to you, Look for the bare necessities, The simple bare necessities~," Baloo continued to sing, bumping against a banana tree, taking a banana for himself and Mowgli tried to get one, but glared as it was an empty peel. "Forget about your worries and your strife, I mean the bare necessities, That's why a bear can rest at ease, With just the bare necessities of life~"

Mowgli soon picked up a banana for himself until a pile of bananas then landed on top of him. The girls then winced to that.

"Come on, girls, join in!" Baloo told them.

"Uh... Okay..." Courtney said.

"Now when you pick a paw-paw, Or a prickly pear~" Baloo began, picking some pieces with his claw.

"Ow!" Mowgli yelped as he pricked his finger. 

"And you prick a raw paw, Well, next time beware, Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw~" Baloo said before eating some more, tossing some fruit to Mowgli. "When you pick a pear try to use the claw, But you don't need to use the claw, When you pick a pair of the big paw-paw, Have I given you a clue?~" 

"Golly, thanks, Baloo!" Mowgli beamed.

"Paw-paw, ha!" Bagheera grumbled. "Of all the silly gibberish--" 

"Come on, Baggy, get with the beat!" Baloo smiled, grabbing Bagheera by his tail. "The bare necessities of life will come to you~"

"They'll come to me!~" Mowgli sang.

"They'll come to you~" The girls sang to him.

"They'll come to you~" Baloo sang with them before getting down on all fours as Mowgli rode on his back. "How 'bout scratchin' that old left shoulder while you're up there, Mowgli?"

Mowgli smiled and began to scratch the bear's back.

"Now just a hair lower... There, right there. That's it. Ahh..." Baloo smiled in relief. "This is beautiful. That's good. Kid, we've got to get to a tree, this calls for some big scratch!" he then said, going to scratch his back on a tree.

"You're lots of fun, Baloo!" Mowgli smiled.

Baloo was then scratching against a tree. "Right on it... Yeah! That's delicious!" he said as he relaxed. "Oh, ooo! Just a little bit--Mmm... Yeah... Ha-ha. Ooh..." he then pulled the tree from the ground finally and scratched by its trunk. "Mm... Mmm... Ha-ha.. Ooh. Yeah!" As he was satisfied, he let himself fall into water. "Oh, man, this is really livin'. So just try and relax. Yeah."

"I would if I could." Mike muttered a bit.

"We're kind of on vacation in a way." Jayna said to her with a small smile.

"She's right," Cindy said. "Hey, do you hear that? ...It's the sound of no bullies."

"It's kinda nice." Mike replied.

"Come on, let's have some fun," Ashlyn said. "Especially with my last week before I go off to Ben, Kevin, and Gwen."

"Okay, someone explain to me," Cindy said. "Is Gwen Ben's sister or what?"

"Cousin." The other girls corrected.

"Okay... I don't know the Tennyson family that well, so that was driving me crazy." Cindy replied.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Mike said. "I felt the same way when I first met them."

"I first met them when they thought about joining the League and then Abby met Kevin." Cindy said. 

"Well, when Ben was about your age, he was given something called The Omnitrix." Mike replied.

"Wow, that's a long time ago." Cindy said.

"Yep. How old do you think Ben is?" Mike asked playfully.

"I don't know, Mike, I haven't lived in CN City all my life like you have." Cindy shrugged playfully.

This made both Mike and Cindy laugh. 

"Ah, it feels good to hear laughter that isn't from someone doing it AT me than WITH me." Cindy said.

"So, Cin, you wanna tell us more about this Avalanche Arts Academy place you wanna go to?" Ashlyn asked.

"It's an art school that I'm hoping to spend the winter semester in," Cindy explained. "I'm gonna spend a semester there over the winter to see if I wanna stay there in the future or not. I heard that Zoey's cousin Ginger had won a scholarship there too, so maybe I'll see her and probably hang out with her since I don't know her that well."

"That will be nice for you, Cin." Mike replied.

"Yeah, I hope so, though I don't know anymore since Sarah's bullying is out of control and her mother won't do any proper parenting to her and Ed," Cindy crossed her arms a bit. "I'm not taking back that punch in the face. She had that coming!"

"Not even Lola Loud would go as far as Sarah." Mike agreed.

"Right, and she's even a brat herself sometimes." Cindy nodded.

"I will talk with my mother when we get back home, and see what we can do to knock Angelia Hill down a bit so that we can put Sarah in her place." Courtney reassured Cindy.

"About dang time!" Cindy replied. "I'm so sick of Sarah using her mother's PTA status as a way to get away with just about EVERYTHING!"

"I know." Mike agreed.

Eventually, Mowgli and Baloo ended up in the water together.

"I think those two are gonna end up being best friends." Mike smiled to that.

The other girls nodded in agreement.

"Good talk, girls." Mike said playfully.

"Ah, I give up..." Bagheera sighed as he soon walked away. "Well, I hope his luck holds out."

"Mowgli, how 'bout you and the girls do some singing?" Baloo suggested.

"I don't sing very good." Ashlyn replied.

"Trust me, unless you wanna go deaf, you're better off without me singing." Cindy added.

"Aw, come on, girls," Baloo smiled. "I bet you have some nice singing voices."

"Courtney loves to sing almost as much as Ella Muse." Ellody replied.

"I don't know who that is, but let's hear it, huh?" Baloo suggested.

"Uh, you sure?" Courtney asked her step-sister.

"Yes, I'm sure." Ellody smiled.

"Easy for you to say maybe." Cindy mumbled to herself.

Baloo, Mowgli, and some of the others soon began to sing along to the Bare Necessities. The girls soon went into the water to cool off and also clean themselves up a bit. 

"Oh, that feels good..." Cindy said in relief. "I guess we could use a little clean up after the day we had yesterday with the storm."

"Well, I really hope that the others will be okay." Courtney soon said.

"I hope that Kevin and Sarah get eaten by sharks." Ashlyn said.

"If they get the sharks mad enough, yeah." Mike said.

"Whatya mean?" Courtney asked. "Sharks just attack, right?"

"Not really," Mike shook her head. "Sharks rarely ever attack humans and would much rather feed on fish and marine mammals. Yeah, a shark bite can really hurt you, but they don't go around attacking people for no reason." 

"She does have a point." Cindy agreed with Mike.

"How do you know?" Courtney asked Mike.

"Kiko and Kiki told me." Mike replied.

"Who?" Courtney asked.

"They are siblings who visited their Uncle Kahuna who taught them how to surf." Mike replied.

"...Now I'm even more lost." Courtney said.

"I met them when I visited Hawaii with Reggie, Otto, Martina, Sam, and Twister along with the Eds," Mike said. "It was a pretty long time ago."

"Okay, now that makes much more sense." Courtney then said.

"Yeah, I kinda had a 'normal life' before all this chaos of Dr. X and the DarkStar Council and everyone else breaking out before The Cartoon League became a major thing." Mike replied.

"Define: normal." Ashlyn joked.

"Do you think the others will be okay?" Ellody wondered.

"Eh, they should be." Cindy shrugged.

"Well, right now, I don't care." Mike said.

"Mike! What a thing to say about your friends!" Jayna yelped.

"No, I mean I DO care, I'm just worrying about myself right now," Mike said. "No offense to anyone of course, but people always expect me to come up with the plans and take charge all the time because I'm so talented and smart."

"I kinda know how you feel," Courtney replied. "When I was in Kevin's gang, they always came to me for answers; I mean, they have brains too, so they should figure it out for themselves."

"That's the problem though," Ashlyn smirked. "They don't have any."

"Yeah, I guess not." Courtney chuckled a bit.

"So, as of right now, I'm not playing the leader." Mike soon smiled to relax herself with Mowgli and Baloo.

"Yep," Cindy said. "As of right now: there is no leader."

"You got that right, Cin." Mike agreed.

They soon relaxed and flowed through the water together to relax and have some real fun.

"This is a vacation, so I say we have it." Ashlyn agreed as she let her hair down.

"She's right," Courtney smiled. "This is so peaceful and relaxing."

"Now you girls are getting it." Baloo chuckled to them.

However, as they relaxed in the water as they let it carry them, some monkeys came into the trees above them and soon reached out, taking Mowgli when Baloo wasn't looking. Another monkey then came down and sat on Baloo's stomach once Mowgli was out of sight.

Baloo hummed to himself until a fly buzzed and landed on the tip of his nose. " "Hey, Mowgli, how 'bout you flickin' that old mean fly off of your Papa Bear's nose?"

The monkey soon took out a stick and hit Baloo's nose with it.

"Ouch!" Baloo yelped, but laughed it off. "Boy, when you flick a fly you really--" he soon glared once he saw that it was not Mowgli, but it was a monkey. "Why you, flat-nosed, little-eyed, flaky creep!"

"Come on and get him, champ!" The monkey smirked.

"He's no champ, he's a chump!" Another monkey replied.

"Monkeys... It had to be monkeys..." Mike glared slightly.

"I thought Duncan and Eddy got separated from us." Ashlyn smirked at her own joke.

"Hey!" Courtney glared at the monkeys. "Why don't you go back to picking out each other's bugs and leave us alone?!"

"Guys!" Mowgli cried out as the monkeys took him.

"Okay, you guys asked for it, I'll--Ooh!" Baloo glared until he then fell into the water once he got up.

"Hey, let go of me!" Mowgli cried out.

"That'll cool him off." One of the monkeys laughed from Baloo's fall.

"Hey, let's get those humans too!" Another monkey said.

"Yeah!" One monkey agreed.

"Don't even think about it!" Ashlyn glared. "Mike, whatya say you scare 'em with your wolf?"

"Oh, come on, guys, they're just monkeys," Mike said. "What could happen?"

The monkeys just grinned and threw them into the water.

"Does that answer your question?" Ashlyn deadpanned to Mike.

The monkeys just laughed at them until a familiar animal was right behind them which made Cindy smile. "He found us."

"Who is it, Cin?" Mike asked. "Is it Baloo?"

"No, it's Sledgehammer," Cindy replied. "He must've followed us."

"Well, that's good," Mike smiled. "At least he's okay."

Sledgehammer soon ran out and crawled onto Cindy's head.

"Hey, buddy, I really missed you." Cindy smiled up to her pet possum.

"I missed you too," Sledgehammer replied. "All of you girls."

"How did you find us?" Mike asked the possum.

"Cindy's cleaning cloth for her glasses." Sledgehammer said.

"No wonder I couldn't find it!" Cindy replied.

"Yeah, you never go anywhere without that," Sledgehammer said. "So, what's going on with you guys?"

"Eh, nothing much, I guess, except those monkeys took Mowgli." Cindy shrugged.

Sledgehammer soon glanced over to see Courtney which made his eyes widen. "What's SHE doing here?! Is she the one who led you out here?!"

"No, it's okay," Jayna said to him. "Courtney is trying to be the nice girl that she used to be."

Sledgehammer narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Yeah, I don't blame you for reacting that way, but 'Joanna' was right about me," Courtney said with air quotes about Jayna's identity. "I was a selfish, spoiled, rotten, self-obsessed, obnoxious brat."

"She's really changed," Mike added. "Heck, she's even decided to leave Kevin's gang."

"Hmm... Fine... But one slip-up with hurting my buddies, well... You better hope that you have good medical insurance." Sledgehammer warned Courtney.

Courtney gulped in fear as she heard stories of how Sledgehammer messed with his victums. You could even ask Dogg and Ethel the Mailwoman.

"Tell her, Cin." Sledgehammer said.

"I think she already knows, Sledge." Cindy told him.

Sledgehammer then looked over as Courtney shuddered in fear. 

"I know, we're all hesitant, but right now, we should concentrate on getting Mowgli back to Baloo." Cindy suggested.

"Maybe we can get Bagheera to help us." Ashlyn said hopefully.

"Good luck with that, I guess," Mike said. "You saw what happened."

"It doesn't hurt to try though." Cindy replied.

Baloo was soon heard crying out for the panther who soon ran over to help him as the girls got out of the water.

"BAGHEERA!!!" Baloo yelled, not knowing the panther was right in front of him and soon smiled once he saw him. "Hey, you heard me."

"Mowgli? Mowgli?!" Bagheera cried out before glaring at the bear, grabbing him by his muzzle. "All right, what happened? Where's Mowgli?"

"They ambushed me, thousands of them!" Baloo said, getting up from the cliff as he pretended to fight. "I jabbed with my left, then I swung with the right, and then I--"

"Oof, for the last time, what happened to Mowgli?" Bagheera rolled his eyes.

"Like I told ya, them mangy monkeys carried him off." Baloo replied.

"The Ancient Ruins... Oh, I hate to think what will happen when he meets that king up there." Bagheera then said.

"The King?" Mike asked.

"It's a long story." Bagheera told her.

"Any princesses I should know about?" Mike rolled her eyes playfully, knowing how Lu would react to that.

"So, uh, who IS this King?" Jayna asked.

"King Louie." Bagheera replied.

"This should be interesting." Cindy said as they made way to go the Ruins to meet his King Louie as he wanted Mowgli.

In the village, the others were settling in while Eddy was trying to draw up a plan to go save Mike and the others while Ranjan looked at him.

"It ain't polite to stare, kid." Eddy told him.

"You're not going to invade the village, right?" Ranjan asked.

"No, Ranjan, we won't be staying very long as soon as we find a way to help out our friends on the other side." Double D told the young boy.

"Well, I hope that they do not run into Shere Khan." Ranjan replied.

"Who's that?" Dee Dee asked.

"I have not met him, but he's a tiger in the jungle," Ranjan explained. "We should just be lucky he doesn't come into the village."

"Pfft! A tiger?" Scott scoffed. "That's not so bad."

"Even if he hates humans and even tries to eat them?" Ranjan asked.

"Okay... Now that's bad." Scott said in horror.

"Oh, no, Ellody is gonna get eaten!" Lightning panicked. "We gotta save her! I promised her uncle that I would make sure that nothing would happen to her! If he finds out that she's gone, then I'm a goner!"

Chicken had to slap him across the face to calm him down from going crazy.

"Chicken, this is serious!" Lightning told him. "Fernando's gonna have my head if anything happens to Ellody!" 

"Ellody can take care of herself, wherever she is," Chicken said. "And people say I act like the sky is fallin'."

"Lightning, take a deep breath in, then let it out, and just calm down," Katrina advised. "We'll find her."

"Where?!" Lightning asked.

"Lightning, breathe before you give yourself a panic attack!" Katrina told him.

Lightning then stopped and tried to relax himself, doing what Katrina told him to do.

"Now... Don't you feel calm now?" Katrina smiled hopefully.

"NO! BECAUSE ELLODY IS OUT THERE AND I AM IN BIG TROUBLE!" Lightning cried out. "Ellody's old man is so cool and laid back, but her uncle is SO protective! He's like the king and Ellody is a princess!" 

"Shall I slap him again?" Chicken suggested.

"Lightning, calm down before you give yourself an anxiety attack." Scott told his friend.

"How can I calm down in a time like this?!" Lightning replied.

"Have you thought of meditation?" Meshua suggested to Lightning. 

"No, Lightning does not need any medicine," Lightning replied. "He's not sick."

"Not MEDICINE, you dumbell, MEDITATION!" Yumi snapped.

"Oh... Uh... What's that?" Lightning asked.

"It's when you think deeply and carefully about something." Meshua said.

"That might be a problem with the thinking part." Chicken muttered slightly. 

"My husband always meditated whenever felt nervous or anxious about something." Meshua advised.

"And you think that'll work?" Lightning asked.

"You should try it," Meshua smiled. "Just do what I do. I can tell this Ellody girl is important to you, but you shouldn't waste so much time worrying about her. We will find her, I assure you."

Lightning soon sat down next to the Indian woman and soon tried out meditation, closing his eyes as he tried to relax, still thinking about Ellody, but was quiet for once. "Hey... It's working..." he then said softly.

"I told you that it would work." Meshua smiled peacefully.

"I think I might try it too." Eddy offered.

"Uh... Why?" Scott asked.

"Well, if you think that Ellody's uncle is bad, how about Mike's Drawn Together family?" Eddy replied. "If they find out that Mike's missing, we're dead, because you know what THEY can do."

"They're not even here!" Scott reminded him. "This is a school trip, remember? We'll find Mike long before we even go back home." 

"Scott's right, Eddy," Og replied. "We're working on a plan to get Mike and the girls. We'll find them in no time."

"You're right... What am I getting worked up for?" Eddy replied. "I need a drink."

"Where did Kevin and the others end up?" Katrina soon wondered.

"Don't know and don't care," Yumi said. "They better not ruin this for me. I'm gonna relax while I still can even though we washed up here totally by accident." 

They then heard a noise.

"Baby Sister?" Ed asked hopefully.

"God, I hope not." Yumi replied.

But much to their relief, it was Jack and Ms. Honeydew with some of the other students behind them.

"Oh, Sensei Jack, Ms. Honeydew," June said in relief. "We're so glad to see you again."

"Thank goodness, you're all okay." Jack said to them.

"Yeah," Eddy replied. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well, there was a storm that destroyed the cruise ship and most of us got separated." Ms. Honeydew reminded.

"...Fair point." Eddy replied. 

"Did you see the rest of the students or Ms. Butterbean and Principal Skarr?" Double D asked the adults.

"I'm afraid not, but we did bring along some students that we found to come along with us." Jack replied.

"Please not Kevin and Sarah." Eddy whispered to himself.

Jack and Ms. Honeydew soon brought out the students they were able to save, though no one saw Kevin or Sarah.

"Hey, I got lucky." Eddy smirked to himself. 

"Are you parents?" Meshua asked the two.

"Oh, no, no," Jack chuckled while Ms. Honeydew giggled. "We're teachers from their school. I often hold after school activities in the gym."

"And I work in the drama department." Ms. Honeydew smiled. 

"Ah... So I see..." Meshua replied.

"How did you find us?" Dee Dee asked the adults.

"Thank Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup," Ms. Honeydew replied. "They were the ones who saw the village and led us over here."

The Powerpuff Girls soon flew out.

"Gosh, this sure brings back memories of The Staylongers," Blossom said. "I liked that show better than Total Drama Island."

"You're just saying that because you got to be IN the show yourself while we stayed home." Buttercup rolled her eyes. 

"Buttercup, you threatened them and that's why you didn't qualify to be on the show." Blossom reminded.

"Aw, who cares?" Buttercup snorted.

"I just hope that the others are okay," Eddy said to himself, unaware that two certain girls were right behind him. "I mean, Jo probably got eaten or Sky might've drowned!"

"Uh, Eddy?" Sky said, tapping his shoulder. "We're right here."

Eddy turned around and yelped to them.

"Don't tell me, you were just kidding and didn't mean it?" Jo rolled her eyes.

"Uh, maybe, what makes you say that?" Eddy asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Jo deadpanned. "Maybe it's because you ALWAYS do this?" 

"Oh, man... I'm glad that you girls are safe, otherwise I would've come and saved you." Eddy said to them.

"Our hero." Jo mumbled sarcastically.

"Eddy, why?" Sky sighed. 

"I'm just worried about my friends." Eddy defended.

"Hey... Where's Mazinsky?" Jo asked as she looked around.

"We don't know," Eddy shrugged. "She, Cindy, Ellody, Ashlyn, and Jayna are missing."

"We're trying to think about a way to find them and get them so we can all go back home," Double D said. "I've had enough adventure for one day."

"Well, I can't blame Mike for going solo a bit," Sky said. "She's been going through a lot of stress lately." 

"Maybe she doesn't WANT to be saved though," Jo said to Eddy. "Ever think about that?" 

"Jo, don't you care about Mike?" Dee Dee pouted.

"Of course I do, but thanks to The Toad Princess and the Biker Loser, I don't think she even wants to come back," Jo said. "Can't say I blame her."

"And it's all our faults too!" Ed cried.

"Someone make Jo come to her senses!" Eddy said. "I mean, first Ashlyn's going away, and now it's gonna be Mike?!"

"Now, I didn't say that..." Jo said. "We'll find out what happens when we see those guys again, wherever they might be."

"It HAS been pretty bad lately, and I've known Mike since she was a baby." Ms. Honeydew said. 

"Yeah, because of the bullies making fun of her!" Eddy huffed.

"It's not JUST that," Sky replied. "It's because of her status as the leader and people always come to her for help. I mean, she's always helping people who can never catch a break, but that stops right now, so from now on: if anyone has a problem, they've got to figure out how to solve it on their own."

Some of the other students nodded in agreement. 

"But... But we NEED Mike." Eddy said.

"That's not a bad thing, but it's not always good," Sky said. "Mike needs a break sometimes. I mean, don't you see how excited she gets whenever she goes out of town to take a break and see some other friends? I think I know Mike a bit better than you guys since she's my cousin."

"But I've known her longer." Eddy defended.

"That might be so, but you should know that you shouldn't always depend on her to save you all the time." Sky suggested.

"She's right," Double D said. "We need to stop depending on Mike all the time."

"We wouldn't be anywhere without Mike." Eddy said.

"That may be so, but haven't you noticed she's been stressed out lately with everyone turning to her for an idea?" Sky reminded. "You guys nearly broke her that time we went camping and met Roselle and the other Mascots like Little Debbie, Wendy, and a whole lot more against Scott Wakefield."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Eddy asked.

"How about you guys leave her alone and start picking up after yourselves?" Sky suggested. "Mike isn't gonna be here forever, you know."

"Uh... Jo, what do you think?" Eddy asked.

"Listen to Sky." Jo said.

"Jo just agreed with someone else." Eddy said.

"I know! It's almost as if I'm not one-dimensional like you people think I am!" Jo rolled her eyes. "You guys wanna know WHY I'm so angry almost all the time? Because you all always think I'm so generic all the time."

"Well, you DID get mad over every little thing." Dee Dee reminded.

"That was the only me, but now this is the new me." Jo replied.

"So from now on, things will be different in good old CN City." Sky said.

Eddy looked away at first.

"I know it'll be an adjustment, but it'll be good for all of us." Sky gave a small smile.

"But what about the bullies?" Eddy asked.

"We'll handle them." Sky said.

"Besides, you have fire powers." Jo then reminded Eddy.

"Can I burn Kevin's bike?" Eddy then asked.

"Eh, whatever makes you happy." Jo shrugged.

"Wow! Really?" Eddy asked.

"Whatever." Jo just shrugged.

"Even if Kevin's mostly angry just because of how your brother treats kids." Dawn said to Eddy.

"How did you--" Eddy was about to ask until he remembered something. "Oh, yeah... I forgot that you could read auras."

"Hippie's good to have, at least you found her too." Jo said to the adults.

"Yes, we thought so too," Ms. Honeydew smiled. "Hopefully we'll all be together again soon and return home."

"In the meantime, we'll find a way to track down Mike and the others," Maxwell said, holding a locket he made for Cindy. "We'll be prepared for anything, all right, Eddy? Whether Mike wants to come home or stay wherever she is."

"Okay, okay," Eddy shrugged. "I guess at least we have our own jungle adventure like those Nicktropolis kids did one time."

"I'm just glad that we found you guys when we did," Sky said. "Also, we've found your luggage too. Okay, boys, bring them on in!" she then called out.

The Rowdyruff Boys then flew by, carrying everyone's luggage to safety. 

"I hope anything we brought survived all right." Double D said.

"Ah, I'm sure your stuff's fine." Brick shrugged before dropping the luggage.

"Good... It's all coming together for you all, I'm happy for you." Meshua smiled to them.

The girl from before soon came out as she was about to get some water before looking over and giggled a bit to the Rowdyruff Boys.

"WOW!" The Boys beamed.

"Don't you boys have girlfriends?" Jo smirked playfully to them.

"Look at that girl!" Brick gasped.

The girl smiled at them and winked. 

"So no then?" Jo replied. "Okay, let's see how that works out the next time you see the girls."

"Huh?" Brick asked.

"What?" Butch added.

"You say something, Jo?" Boomer concluded.

Jo just rolled her eyes, walking away, though she hid a smirk.

"Hello, Shanti, how are you?" Meshua asked.

"I'm doing fine," The girl smiled. "I wanted to see how the visitors were doing."

"Everything is all right over here." Meshua smiled back.

"We sent Justin and Justine to look out for more out for more of our friends," Scott said. "Maybe they'll find some of the others."

"Oh, that's a good idea, Scott." Ms. Honeydew smiled.

"Couldn't we just send the Powerpuff Girls instead of The Pretty-Faced Twins?" Chicken shrugged.

"I would've, but Justin insisted because he wants to look for Joanna." Scott replied.

"Makes sense." Chicken admitted.

"I shall make you all some dinner." Meshua offered.

"Thank you, ma'am." Jack bowed.

"Would you and your mother like to stay for dinner tonight as well?" Meshua asked Shanti.

"Please, please, please, please." The Rowdyruff Boys begged.

"Hmm... I'll go ask my mother first." Shanti smiled politely.

"Very well, sweetheart." Meshua smiled back.

"Boys. Go fig." Buttercup scoffed from Brick, Butch, and Boomer's reactions.

"Uh, is she your daughter or something?" Brick asked Meshua. "You two seem close."

"Her mother and I are very good friends," Meshua smiled. "We were like sisters, so even though she isn't really, Shanti's like a niece to me."

"I hope she stays." Butch smiled hopefully.

Buttercup just rolled her eyes.

"What?" Butch asked.

"You know what you did." Buttercup replied.

"No! I don't!" Butch said.

"Forget it." Buttercup said before flying away from him with her arms crossed.


	7. Chapter 7

Meanwhile, Mike and the others were beginning to try and find Mowgli who had been taken to someone called King Louie.

"I hope he's alright." Cindy said.

"Me too." Mike agreed.

Little did they know, Justin and Justine seemed to be traveling nearly in the same direction.

"Okay, if I were Mike, where would I be in the jungle?" Justin asked himself.

"Probably with some wolves." Justine shrugged.

"Probably." Justin replied thoughtfully.

"Oh, this is all our faults!" Justine soon cried out.

"No, it's not, Sis," Justin told her. "Remember what Sky said. We've got to figure out how to solve our own problems by ourselves."

"I know, but I feel like I'm a terrible friend." Justine frowned.

"Why would you say such a thing?" Justin asked his sister.

"I don't know," Justine shrugged. "Because we always go to Mike for some help, and now she probably doesn't want to come back home!"

"Why would that make you a bad friend?" Justin asked. "Oh, Justine, you need to stop worrying about every little thing. It's not healthy, but you're right though, we could learn a little more independence by always going to Mike for help like this, we're amazing on our own too. I mean, don't you remember when we helped Maui and Moana?"

"Yeah... I remember." Justine said.

"And did we have Mike help us?" Justin then asked.

"No, we didn't." Justine replied.

"See? We're already getting there anyway," Justin said. "Now don't worry what MIGHT happen, let's just try to see if we can get our friend back."

"I guess you're right." Justine replied.

"Of course I'm right," Justin said. "I'm the oldest."

"Only by ten minutes." Justine smirked playfully.

"Come on, let's keep going," Justin said. "I doubt Mike is hurt from the wild animals."

"Yeah, I don't think she would be either, especially from wolves." Justine replied.

But unknown to them, Kaa was watching them both with a smirk. "More humans... Must be my lucky day~..." The snake smirked to himself.

Sledgehammer asked some other animals on the way where the Ancient Ruins were and luckily, they soon found the place.

"Huh... Almost makes me think of El Dorado." Mike commented.

"Hmm... If I remember the story my dad told me correctly, King Louie must be in there," Courtney told the others. "He's the king of the monkeys, even though he's an orangutan."

They soon heard the primate king singing to himself as she just said that. "Ding ding lo-la diddly-o zing boing Sca-be-do, hoo-be-do, zee-bo do-zeb Diddly-doo dee-hoy I wanna be a man-man one or-rang-a-tang tang~"

"An orangutan in this kind of jungle?" Cindy asked as that didn't make sense. "Clearly he's not originally from here."

"I don't know myself... Smart kid, huh?" Courtney asked.

"You have to ask?" Cindy smirked.

They soon peeked out from the windows to see the orangutan singing with the other monkeys watching him.

"Ha, ha, we got him, King Louie!" One of the monkeys laughed, showing Mowgli.

"Man, we got him, we got him!" The other monkey added.

"Ha, ha, ha, So you're the Man Cub?" Louie replied as he took a look at Mowgli from his throne.

"I'm not as crazy as you are!" Mowgli glared. "Put me down!"

The monkeys then dropped the feral boy on the ground and the boy soon glared at them.

"You cut that out!" Mowgli snapped.

"Cool it, boy. Unwind yourself," King Louie told Mowgli before he sang again. "Do-doot doot-doot do~ Now come on. Let's shake, cousin."

"He doesn't look too dangerous like say Kerchak or Gorilla Grodd." Mike commented.

"What do you want me for?" Mowgli asked the orangutan.

"Word has grabbed my royal ear, have a banana, that you want to stay in the jungle." King Louie said as he threw a banana in Mowgli's mouth.

"Oh, boy, I think I can see where this is going," Mike said. "He's gonna keep Mowgli from going back to the Man Village where he belongs."

"Stay in the jungle?" Mowgli asked with his mouth full. "I sure do."

"Good. And ol' King Louie, Bop-boo do-bay doo-boo-do that's me, can fix it for you~" King Louie sang to Mowgli while giving more bananas to him. "Have two bananas. Have we got a deal?"

"Yes, sir!" Mowgli beamed as he kept eating the bananas. "I'll do anything to stay in the jungle."

"See? What did I tell you?" Mike told the others.

"No one likes a show-off, Mike." Courtney said.

Sledgehammer hissed at Courtney since that seemed like an insult.

"I don't mean that in a bad way," Courtney said. "I mean what do we do about it?"

"Hmm... We gotta save him." Ellody pondered.

"But how?" Courtney replied.

"Yeah, we can't just go in like that," Cindy said. "They'll suspect something."

"Well, in the story, I remember that Baloo dressed up like a girl monkey to woo King Louie as a distraction for one thing." Courtney said then.

"So all we have to do is dress up like girl monkeys too." Jayna then said.

"That could work." Cindy shrugged.

"Uh... All right, if you think that'll work." Courtney shrugged.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Cindy replied.

"Stop saying that, you know it jinxes stuff." Mike said.

"Oh, sorry," Cindy said. "Come on, we better hurry."

The girls then went to disguise themselves so that they could go and save Mowgli. King Louie continued to sing to Mowgli, while Courtney bobbed her head to the beat as it was a pretty fun song.

"Gee, Cousin Louie, you're doing real good." Mowgli smiled.

"Now, here's your part of the deal, cous," King Louie said to the boy. "Lay the secret on me of man's red fire."

"But I don't know how to make fire?" Mowgli replied.

"Now, don't try to kid me, Man Cub," King Louie told him while the girls were getting ready. "I made a deal with you, What I desire is man's red fire, To make my dream come true~"

Baloo and Bagheera were soon coming to the Ruins, though Justin and Justine didn't seem to be with them.

"Fire! So that's what that scoundrel's after." Bagheera concluded as he overheard that.

"I'll tear him limb-from-limb, I'll beat him, I'll... I'll--" Baloo glared until he soon grooved to the beat. "Um, yeah, well, man, what a beat."

"It's okay, Bagheera, we got this." Jayna said to the panther.

"Will you stop that silly beat business and listen?!" Bagheera complained to Baloo. "This will take brains, not brawn."

"You better believe it!" Baloo replied. "And I'm loaded with both." 

Courtney rolled her eyes slightly from that.

"Would you listen?" Bagheera complained to the bear.

"Oh, yeah, yeah~" Baloo continued to jam a bit.

"Now, while you guys create a disturbance, I'll rescue Mowgli," Bagheera told Baloo and the girls. "Got that?"

"Los conseguimos." Ellody replied.

"I hope that means yes?" Bagheera replied.

"Pretty much," Ellody said. "Don't worry, Bagheera."

"I wish that were easier done than said." Bagheera sighed about not having to worry.

Mowgli, King Louie, and the servant monkey soon walked off together and Bagheera stayed still until he soon reached out to grab Mowgli until the girls soon came in, disguised as girl monkeys.

"Hey!" Baloo called out in his own disguise before singing. "Da-zaap bon-ronee Hap ba-dee dee-lap-da-non Hene-bebe-re, Doot zaba-doo-dee-day Doo-bam doo-boo-bee-bay Bo-bom, za-ba-pa-panney!~"

"Uh, what is Baloo doing?" Mike asked. "I thought WE were going to distract King Louie."

"He doesn't listen." Courtney grumbled.

"Look at that!" Cindy pointed out to the others.

King Louie enjoyed that as he danced with Baloo as the monkeys were dancing with the girls.

"All right, now to get Mowgli." Mike said as she was going to help Bagheera.

The monkeys then surrounded the girls with smirks.

"Say, ladies, ya wanna dance?" One of the monkeys asked.

"Uh... Yeah, sure, why not?" Cindy replied.

"We'll dance with ya, alright." Jayna added.

The monkeys grinned and then danced with the girls. Bagheera kept trying to grab a hold of Mowgli as he danced with one monkey during King Louie's singing, but it seemed almost hopeless. Courtney soon sent King Louie flying aside which had the orangutan fly a bit, grabbing Bagheera by his tail, but luckily, he didn't seem to notice the panther as he came towards Mowgli. Mike soon tried to take her turn to get Mowgli in her own way while the monkeys were distracted.

"Mike?" Mowgli glanced to the tomboy.

"Shh." Mike shushed him.

"What're you doing?" Mowgli asked.

"Helping you," Mike said, taking a hold of him before King Louie would see them. "King Louie's just using you."

"No, that can't be true." Mowgli replied.

"It is," Mike said. "I'm sorry."

"Hey!" Mowgli yelped as he was suddenly grabbed.

"Let us help you, and don't even try to fight me, I'm stronger than I look." Mike told Mowgli before signaling the other girls.

Sledgehammer soon ran to Cindy, climbing on top of her head. "Okay, Mike's ready to go, kid." he then told his owner.

"All right," Cindy replied. "Now let's get the heck out of here!"

Ashlyn, Jayna, Ellody, and Courtney looked to Cindy and went to sneak off with her as the monkeys continued to dance, unaware of what was going on. Sledgehammer stayed by Cindy's side just in case the monkeys would try anything as they began to get away with Mowgli. But unfortunately when King Louie was dancing with Baloo, the bear's costume came off and soon the monkeys stopped dancing and glared at Baloo who was still dancing, but soon stopped when his skirt came off.

"Man..." Baloo mumbled.

"Dang it." Sledgehammer and the girls grunted.

All of the monkeys got into a fuss once they saw Baloo.

"It's Baloo the bear!"

"Yeah, that's him!"

"How'd he get in there?"

"Baloo, it's you." Mowgli said once he saw the bear.

"Okay, let's get out of here now!" Mike told the girls.

The girls then took off their disguises and ran away.

"But, Mike, I--" Mowgli tried to the tomboy.

Mike had him over her shoulder and ran off, but unfortunately the monkey grabbed him out of her arms. "Let go!" Mike glared.

"Or else what?" The monkey glared back.

"Cindy, should I show them?" Sledgehammer asked.

Cindy looked over at the monkeys, then looked at her possum. "They're all yours."

"All right, I'll be right back." Sledgehammer said before he soon lunged out at the monkeys, causing a lot of chaos and destruction just like he used to do before he reformed and became Cindy's pet.

"So glad that he's on our side." Courtney said as the other girls had to agree to that.

The monkeys tried to get Sledgehammer, but he kept popping up in random places, giving them TNT, and hitting them with frying pans as he kept avoiding them in a zany slapstick way while the girls began to get away with Mowgli, Bagheera, and Baloo, though during the chaos, the Ancient Ruins seemed like they were about to be destroyed.

Far away, Justin and Justine heard a crash which made them turn around.

"What was that?" Justine wondered.

"Some sort of crash, I guess." Justin said.

"Odd... Maybe we should go and check it out." Justine suggested.

"Let's go, but stay close to me." Justin told his sister.

"Right." Justine nodded to him.

Justin and Justine soon went to follow the sound of the crash to make sure no one was hurt. They gasped slightly as they saw the throne collasped and the monkeys were all in fetal positions, looking scared.

"What happened?" Justine asked.

"I'm not sure if I even wanna know... I hope it wasn't hunters though." Justin said to his sister.

"That possum was crazy!" A monkey cried out. "He's insane! I can still hear him in my head! He's gonna haunt my nightmares!"

"Possum?" The Reid twins asked.

"I didn't think the jungle had anyone like him, but watch out for him!" The monkey told them. "Save yourselves and your sanity!"

"You don't think Cindy and Sledgehammer couldn't have been here, do you?" Justine asked her brother.

"No, it couldn't be." Justin replied.

"What color fur did this possum have?" Justine then asked the monkeys.

"Pink." The monkey told her.

"Well?" Justine asked Justin.

"Hmm... Well, now that you mention it, I guess it COULD be possible." Justin replied.

"Uh, now tell me," Justine softly said to the monkey before asking, "Was there anyone else with him?"

"Yeah... Baloo the Bear, Bagheera the Panther, Mowgli the Man Cub, and some human girls." The monkey replied.

"Did you see where they went?" Justin asked.

"I just know somewhere over there," The monkey said, pointing over. "They must've gotten lucky to get away from that psychotic possum."

"Thank you," Justine told him. "You've been a big help."

"As long as you make sure that possum is far away from us!" The monkey cried out.

"Um, sure?" Justin replied.

Justin and Justine soon walked off.

"So, Cindy was definitely here." Justine said.

"I'm sure she's okay though for the most part, she's becoming more independent since she's been hanging around her grandmother lately." Justin gave a small smile.

"I know, and I've never been more proud of her." Justine smiled back.

"Like I'm proud of you." Justin replied.

Justine smiled at her twin brother who smiled back. 

"Come on, we better get going before anything dangerous might happen, but I'm sure we can both handle it." Justin said as they soon ran off together.

"Yeah, it's getting dark," Justine said. "So, you miss Jayna?"

"Well, of course I do," Justin replied. "I'm sure she's okay, but it would be nice to see her again alive and well."

"Oh, me too," Justine nodded before smirking a bit. "She and I are like sisters, but pretty soon, she's gonna be my sister-in-law."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see what happens in a few years." Justin rolled his eyes playfully.

Justine just giggled as they continued on the search for their friends.

It was getting dark which made some of the others tired as things were winding down in the jungle that night after saving Mowgli from King Louie. Baloo and Bagheera were talking as they lay beside a tree and Mowgli was already asleep.

"And furthermore, Mowgli seems to have man's ability to get into trouble, and your influence hasn't been exactly--" Bagheera continued to scold Baloo.

"Shh! Keep it down, you're gonna wake little buddy," Baloo shushed the panther, smiling to Mowgli as he was fast asleep after an exciting day today. "Yeah. He's had a big day, it was a real sockaroo. You know it ain't easy learning to be like me."

"Pah! A disgraceful performance," Bagheera scoffed. "Associating with those undesirable, scatterbrained apes. Huh. I hope he learned something from that experience."

"Yeah... Scooby-dooby, dooby-doo..." Mowgli mumbled while he was still asleep.

"Ha, ha. That's my boy." Baloo chuckled.

"Heh... Scooby-Dooby-Doo." Mike chuckled weakly from that.

"Oh, nonsense." Bagheera mumbled, walking over to by the water.

Baloo soon began to make Mowgli comfortable and tucked him into his leaf bed for the night.

"I guess we could camp here for the night." Mike told the other girls.

"I guess it's better than nothing," Cindy shrugged. "I feel wore out. Those monkeys gave us a bit of a workout."

"And thanks to Sledgehammer who saved us." Ellody added.

"Ah, it was nuthin'." Sledgehammer replied.

"That was both very scary and amazing," Cindy said, petting Sledgehammer. "Sorry, buddy, I'd give you a treat, but I don't have any on me."

"It's okay." Sledgehammer replied.

"I think you pretty much scared those monkeys to death." Courtney said.

"Just the way I am." Sledgehammer shrugged.

"Were you always like that?" Cindy asked him as they settled in for the night.

"Well, I wasn't always crazy like I was before," Sledgehammer explained. "Right after I lost my whole family, my mind snapped, and I wanted everyone to suffer the same way I did, but you guys saved me."

"Hey, it's what friends do." Mike replied.

"I'm sorry you lost your family though, but you're apart of MY family now." Cindy smiled.

"That's very mushy," Sledgehammer rolled his eyes before smiling back. "But thanks. I love being your pet."

"And I'm happy to be your owner." Cindy replied.

"Plus you're not only part of Cindy's family," Mike added. "You're part of OUR family too."

"That's right." Cindy smiled to that.

"So much friendliness and warmth... Why can't CN City be like this all the time?" Sledgehammer sighed. "I swear, it was somewhat better than it was before when Cartoon Cartoon Fridays."

"It would be nice to bring that back," Cindy said. "I mean, especially since I wasn't really around for that. Like, I heard that Mike and Eddy were a thing."

"We were," Mike smiled. "I think it started when we were both hosting that one night, but he kept getting nervous around me."

"I've heard about that," Cindy replied. "I thought that was pretty funny."

"So did I," Mike said, obviously. "Man, those were good times."

"Do you guys remember when Top Cat and his gang had to stay at Eddy's houe?" Ashlyn replied.

"They drove him nuts!" Mike laughed to that.

"We'll share more stories later," Courtney said. "I'm wore out."

"Yeah, we had a long day today." Ellody had to agree.

"Yeah... Let's get some sleep," Mike said. "I'm just glad I don't NEED the full moon to transform anymore. Now I can relax a nice night and just look at the moon like I used to before I learned about my werewolf powers."

"I remember the first time when I saw you transform, and it kinda scared me to death," Cindy remarked. "Even when you warned me not to go outside."

"We know." Mike said.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Cindy soon yawned. "Night, girls. Night, Sledge."

"Night." Sledgehammer and the girls replied.

They soon went to go to sleep for the night after Mowgli was fast asleep while Baloo and Bagheera talked about Mowgli going back to the Man Village, though of course, Baloo didn't want Mowgli out of his life since he really loved the boy.

Justin and Justine kept walking through the jungle, looking a bit tired as they kept looking for their friends.

"Justin... I'm tired..." Justine said. "I know we're so close, but can we take a break for the night?"

"Hmm... That might be best." Justin replied.

Justine then sat down to take a breather. "Thank you."

Justin soon took out their sleeping bags to settle in for the night with her.

"You always come prepared." Justine said.

"Hey, someone has to." Justin shrugged.

"I guess so." Justine chuckled.

They soon bundled down and went to get some sleep.

"Night." Justin told his sister.

"Good night." Justine said before falling asleep with a small smile as this was like their early childhood which was a peaceful night of sleep, and not just for them.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning came rather quickly, especially for Baloo and Bagheera. Bagheera soon went to nudge Baloo to go over and talk to Mowgli about going back to the Man Village.

"Oh, boy..." Baloo sighed to himself and soon tried to wake up the feral boy. "Mowgli? Mowgli? Uh, it's time to get up."

Mowgli then woke up with a stretch. "Oh. Hi, Baloo."

"Hi. Hey, rub that sleep out of your eyes," Baloo told him. "You and me, along with the girls, eh, we've got a long walk ahead of us."

"Uh, guys?" Mowgli called out to the girls. "Guys, wake up. Baloo wants to talk with us."

"I just went to sleep." Ashlyn grumbled a bit.

Cindy woke up yawning and stretching as she put on her glasses.

"Man, I feel great." Mike said as she woke up.

"Easy for you to say." Ashlyn said.

"Ah, you'll be fine." Mike told her.

"Fine..." Ashlyn said before sitting up. "This better be good. That tiger didn't come by, did he?"

"No, I don't think so." Baloo replied.

"Good." Ashlyn nodded.

Soon enough, Courtney, Ellody, Jayna, and Sledgehammer woke up too.

"Come along then." Baloo said.

The girls soon came to join Mowgli and Baloo along with Sledgehammer.

"Swell! We'll have lots of fun together." Mowgli beamed.

"Sure. yeah. Yeah, uh... Let's hit the trail, kid," Baloo said. "See you around, eh, Bagheera?"

"Well, goodbye Bagheera," Mowgli told the panther. "Me and Baloo, we've got things to do."

"Goodbye, Man Cub and good luck." Bagheera replied.

"Come on, Baloo," Mowgli smiled to Baloo before singing. "All we've got to do is... Look for the bare necssities Some good old bare necessities Forget about your worries and your strife. I mean the bare necessities,That's why a bear can rest at ease With just the bare necessities of life. Yeah! I'll live here in the jungle all my life!~ Yeah, man!~" he then laughed as he began to have fun. "I like being a bear. Where are we going, Baloo?"

Baloo just looked down in the dumps.

"I guess Bagheera gave him the talk last night." Courtney whispered to the others.

"Sounds about right." Ellody replied.

"Well, ah... It's a... Um, well it's sort of new, and--" Baloo stumbled a bit as he took the banana before tossing it behind him, making Ashlyn catch it and eat it since she felt hungry right now after being forced to wake up.

"Oh, I don't care, as long as I'm with you." Mowgli smile to Baloo.

"Mowgli, look buddy, there's something I've got to tell you." Baloo sighed.

"Tell me what, Baloo?" Mowgli asked as he began to chase a butterfly.

"Gee whiz. How did old Baggy put it?" Baloo sighed to himself before looking to the feral boy with a small smile. "Ah, Mowgli? Hah, you wouldn't marry a panther, would you?"

Mowgli chuckled a bit. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Mowgli, don't you realize that you're a human?" Baloo said to the feral boy. 

"I'm not anymore, Baloo," Mowgli replied. "I'm a bear like you."

"Little buddy, look, listen to me." Baloo told him.

"Come on, come on, Baloo." Mowgli smiled, taking his arm.

"Now Mowgli, stop it now, now hold still," Baloo told him, trying to be assertive. "I wanna tell you something, now listen to me."

"What's the matter, old Papa Bear?" Mowgli asked.

"Look Mowgli, I've been trying to tell you, I've been trying all morning to tell you," Baloo told him firmly. "I've got to take you and the girls back to the Man Village!"

"And here comes the drama..." Cindy sighed to herself. "I'm just staying out of it."

"The Man Village?!" Mowgli's eyes widened.

"Now look, kid, I can explain." Baloo told Mowgli.

"But you said we were partners." Mowgli said, backing up away from the bear.

"Now believe me, kid, I have to because you're a human and you belong with the other humans, I--" Baloo told him.

"You're just like old Bagheera!" Mowgli said before running away the other way, further into the jungle. 

"Now just a minute, that's going too far!" Baloo told him and soon tried to go after him. "Hey, Mowgli, where are you going?"

"Poor kid," Courtney frowned. "I feel bad for him."

"So, what do we do?" Ellody asked.

"I don't know about you, but I'm leaving Mowgli alone for a while, because if I just try to help, he's gonna snap at me, get fed up, and just ignore me because that's all anybody ever does whenever I try to help and stand up for myself in the city." Cindy said, a little bitterly.

"Overly dramatic much?" Ashlyn replied.

"Whoa... I wouldn't be talking, Miss I-Need-To-Beat-Danielle-Dastardly-At-Everything!" Cindy retorted.

"Guys, stop fighting, we need to work together to get out of here and find our friends." Mike reminded them.

"Sorry." Ashlyn and Cindy replied.

"I'm sorry, but it's just true," Cindy said. "Whenever I try to help, it just blows up in my face and then I end up looking like the bad guy. I didn't want that with moving into CN City, I wanted to make some friends who like me for who I am, is that too much to ask?"

"No, Cin, it's not," Mike told her. "Things just get hectic sometimes, and I'm sorry you have to feel that way. Believe me, I don't like it either, I even get exhausted whenever I have to put Kevin, Sarah, or anyone else in their place whenever things get out of control."

"But that's all gonna change now." Ellody said.

"Yeah, we don't need to fear people like Sarah, Heather, or even Amy," Courtney replied. "Even though Amy does scare me since she's the daughter of HIM."

"She's just all talk no matter who her father is," Mike said. "All I see is a whiny, attention craving, crybaby. Who cares what her powers are? It doesn't change her personality."

"Besides, the Powerpuff Girls have fought HIM a whole bunch of times and always kick his butt." Cindy added.

"I get the idea, but I still feel a little scared of her." Courtney told them.

"Well, you guys shouldn't be, now come on," Mike told them. "We've got to find Mowgli."

The other girls agreed as they soon went along to go and find the feral boy. Baloo was soon calling out for Mowgli.

"Now what's happened?" Bagheera asked.

"You're not going to believe me, Bagheera, but look, now I used the same words you did, and he ran out on me." Baloo told the panther.

"Why, don't just stand there. Let's separate," Bagheera told him. "We've got to find him."

"Oh, if anything happens to that little guy, I'll never forgive myself," Baloo sulked to himself before calling out. "I've got to find him. Mowgli? Mowgli!"

The search soon began through the jungle, but a certain predator was on his way through the jungle as well.

Justin soon woke up and came up to a body of water and washed his face with it since it was a brand new day. "Wake up, Justine, it's a new day." he then told his twin sister.

Justine mumbled as she soon woke up, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Justin freshened up a bit. Justine scratched her back a little before joining beside him to wash her face with him.

"I hope that we find them today." Justine said.

"Me too." Justin nodded.

"They couldn't have gone too far," Justine said. "I don't even know if Mike would want to come home, she's been under a lot of pressure lately. Not to mention that fight that Courtney and Jayna had before the storm hit. I just wanted to punch Courtney myself."

"I know you do." Justin coaxed.

"I think we need a vacation FROM this vacation." Justine giggled.

"Very funny." Justin rolled his eyes playfully.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Kaa remarked once he saw them.

The Reid twins soon looked over to see Kaa grinning at them. 

"Um... Hi?" Justin said. "Can we help you with something?"

"Yes, you just have to trust in me." Kaa smirked as he tried to hypnotize them.

"Yes... We can trust you..." Justin and Justine soon said, hypnotized.

"Now, what brings you here?" Kaa asked them.

"We're looking for our friends..." Justine told him. "A monkey told us that they came by this way..."

"Ah... What do these friends look like?" Kaa asked.

"They were... They were..." Justin said as he struggled to get out of the hypnotic state.

"Don't you dare fight it, boy," Kaa told him. "You can't get out of my power!"

"I... I know I can... You're just one snake!" Justin told him.

"You shouldn't hesitate," Kaa smirked. "Nobody can beat my power."

"Wanna bet...?" Justine replied. "We're stronger than we look."

"I'm sure you two look morsels are..." Kaa smirked as he began to slither around them, wrapping them in his coils.

"Tell us, have you ever been burned by lava?" Justin asked.

"Of course not." Kaa replied.

"Would you like to find out?" Justine asked before suddenly...

"YOW!!!" Kaa yelped, getting scorched by lava which came from Justine's hand, making him get off of them in pain. 

Justin and Justine blinked, shaking their heads as they went back to normal as Kaa slither away, blowing on his tail.

"You'll pay for this!" Kaa snapped.

"Are you okay, Justin?" Justine asked her brother.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Justin said. "Good move with that lava."

"No biggie," Justine replied. "It was either that or turn into a fish and slip away, but this seemed more fun."

"I would've turned into a lion, but come on, let's keep moving." Justin chuckled a bit.

"Let's." Justine agreed.

They soon packed up their stuff and soon went back on the trail as they avoided Kaa, much to the snake's misfortune.

"I'll get them next time." Kaa grumbled to himself.

Meanwhile, a certain tiger was prowling in the grass, coming close to a deer grazing, so he laid down, ready to pounce, but the sound of elephants trumpeting soon made the deer run away.

"Hup, two, three, four Hup, two, three, four Keep it up, two, three, four~" The elephants sang as they marched.

"What beastly luck," The tiger grumbled to himself. "Confound that ridiculous Colonel Hathi." 

"Company, sound off!" Colonel Hathi commanded.

"Oh, we march from here to there~" The elephants sang together.

"And it doesn't matter where~" A male elephant sang.

"You can hear us push, Through the deepest bush, Hup, two, three, four~" The elephants all sang as they marched.

"With a military air!~" Colonel Hathi called out.

"With a military air~" The elephants repeated before they all let out a trumpet together.

Bagheera heard that from the trees and soon ran off. "The Jungle Patrol!"

"We're a crackerjack bridge, On a pachyderm parade, But we'd rather stroll To a water hole~" The elephants sang.

"Hup, two, three, four!" Junior counted out loud.

"For a furlough in the shade~" The elephants continued.

"Stop!" Bagheera cried out, but the elephants didn't notice him at first. "Wait a minute... HALT!!!"

The elephants then stopped, crashing into each other.

"Who said 'Halt'?" Colonel Hathi demanded. "I give the commands around here. Now speak up, who was it?"

"Oh, it was me, Colonel." Bagheera told the lead elephant.

"What do you mean, taking over my command?" Colonel Hathi glared at the panther. "Highly irregular you know."

"Colonel, I am sorry, b-but I need your help." Bagheera replied, unaware that Shere Khan was nearby and listening in.

"Impossible," Colonel Hathi told him. "We're on a cross-country march."

"It's an emergency, Colonel," Bagheera frowned. "The Man Cub must be found."

"What Man Cub?" Colonel Hathi asked.

"How interesting..." Shere Khan smirked to himself.

"The one I was taking to the Man Village." Bagheera told the elephant.

"It's where he belongs," Colonel Hathi rolled his eyes. "Now sir, if you don't mind, we'd like to get on with the march."

"No, no, you don't understand, Hathi," Bagheera told him. "He's lost. He ran away."

"How delightful." Shere Khan smirked to himself.

"Well, serves the young whippersnapper right." Colonel Hathi huffed about Mowgli's disappearance.

"B-But Shere Khan, the tiger, he's sure to pick up the man-cub's trail and maybe find the girls too and kill them too." Bagheera told the lead elephant.

Shere Khan nodded as he hid away while listening to the panther and elephant talk to each other.

"Haha, Shere Khan," Colonel Hathi laughed a bit. "Nonsense, old boy. Shere Khan isn't within miles of here."

Shere Khan chuckled to that.

"Sorry Bagheera. Fortunes of war and all that sort of thing you know." Colonel Hathi continued.

"This has gone far enough," Winifred glared before she soon stormed up to her mate to scold him. "Now just a minute, you pompous old windbag!"

"Winifred?" Colonel Hathi asked his mate. "What are you doing out of ranks?"

"Never mind. How would you like our boy lost and alone in the jungle?!" Winifred glared at him.

Junior then posed as an illustration for those words.

"Our son?" Colonel Hathi replied. "But Winifred, old girl, that's an entirely different matter."

"Hmph!" Winifred harrumphed.

"Different. Entirely." Colonel Hathi told her.

"That boy no different than our own son," Winifred glared. "Now you help find him or I'm taking over command."

"What? A female leading my herd?" Colonel Hathi replied. "Utterly preposterous."

"Pop, the Man Cub and I are friends, and I like those girls too," Junior piped up. "They'll get hurt if we don't find them. Please, Pop? Sir? Please?"

"Now, don't you worry, son," Colonel Hathi reassured. "Your father had a plan in mind all the time."

"Huh. Sure you did." Winifred snorted.

"Troopers, Company, left face!" Colonel Hathi commanded. "Volunteers for a special mission will step one pace forward."

All of the elephants stepped back when his back was turned, except for one who then noticed it and step behind too.

"Ha, ha. That's what I like to see," Colonel Hathi chuckled to that. "Devotion to duty. You volunteers will find the lost Man Cub and those city girls."

"Thank you, Colonel," Bagheera said before he soon left. "Now there's no time to lose."

"Yes, well. Good luck," Colonel Hathi told the panther before whispering to his army. "When the Man Cub is sighted you will sound your trumpet three times.

"Yes, sir!" One elephant replied, turning his trunk into an actual trumpet, about to do that, until Colonel Hathi closed hi trunk to silence him. 

"Shh. Not now soldier."

"Sorry, sir." The elephant smiled nervously.

Colonel Hathi then came to the buzzcut elephant. "Lieutenant, our strategy shall be the element of surprise. You will take one squad and cover the right flank."

Shere Khan leaned forward to hear the whisper.

"Yes, sir. Hathi." The buzzcut elephant replied.

"And I shall take the other squad on the left flank," Colonel Hathi whispered even quieter before suddenly shouting. "COMPANY!!! Forward... March!"

The elephants soon walked away with the trees falling as they went.

"Element of surprise? I say. Ha, ha, ha," Shere Khan chuckled. "And now for my rendezvous with the lost Man Cub and those human girls." 

Mowgli was still walking off on his own, feeling very upset about Baloo tricking him to taking him back to the Man Village when he clearly didn't want to. The girls kept their distance as they knew that Mowgli wanted to be alone right now, but kept an eye out for anyone, especially a certain tiger.


	9. Chapter 9

"See Shere Khan yet?" Cindy asked.

"Nope," Sledgehammer replied. "So far, so good."

"Man, I could really go for a burger right about now, especially from Pop's..." Ashlyn smiled hungrily.

"I'd love to have me some cheese fries." Courtney added.

"Yeah, well, sorry, but you guys are gonna have to survive with fruit for a while from the jungle." Mike told them.

"But be careful," Ellody warned the others. "Some of these fruits could be poisonous."

"Trust me, El, I already know," Mike nodded. "You remember I'm a camping expert in CN City, especially with those times that those Bean Scouts or Squirrel Scouts would come to visit."

"It's like you were a born scout yourself." Cindy said.

"Yeah, even though I was never too crazy about becoming one myself." Mike replied.

Kaa soon slithered around while trying to hold his tail with a groan. "Darn those kids... Breaking free from my spell..." 

"You guys hear something?" Mike soon asked.

"I did," Ashlyn said before pointing over by the trees. "Came over from that direction."

"Maybe it's Shere Khan." Ellody said nervously.

Mike came out, bringing a stick with her to bash the tiger in the head with in case it was, but however, it was not. Kaa reached out his tail and soon grabbed a hold of Mowgli as he sat by the trees.

"Kaa! It's you!" Mowgli gasped.

"Yes, Man Cub," Kaa smiled hungrily. "So nice to see you again."

"Oh, go away," Mowgil groaned. "Leave me alone."

"Let me look at you," Kaa told the feral boy as he soon tried to look away from the snake's eyes. "You don't want me to look at you? Then you look at me."

"No, sir," Mowgli said. "I know what you're trying to do, Kaa."

"You do? Uh, I mean, you don't trust me?" Kaa replied.

"No!" Mowgli replied.

"Who'd wanna trust you?!" Mike snapped before beating Kaa in the head with her stick.

"Ow! Hey!" Kaa cried out.

"Go away before I MAKE you go away!" Mike glared at the snake.

"No, no, you don't understand, I want to help." Kaa defended.

"You want to help me?" Mowgli asked the snake.

"Don't do it!" Cindy cried out.

"Certainly... I can see to it that you never have to leave this jungle." Kaa told Mowgli.

"How could you do that?" Mowgli asked.

"Hmm...? Oh, I have my own subtle little ways," Kaa replied to him. "But first, you must trust me."

Mike whacked him with her stick again.

"Will you cut that out?!" Kaa complained.

"I'd sooner trust Hermione Cuzzlewitz before I'd trust you!" Mike glared.

Kaa glared right back, using his hypnosis on the tomboy.

"Don't even think about it." Mike said, putting on her sunglasses and soon whacked him again.

"Ow!" Kaa complained, then tried to use his power on the other girls.

Mike soon grabbed Kaa to make him look at her while her eyes were protected before he could hypnotize them. "You have five seconds to tell me what you want before I turn you into a poodle and throw you even further into the jungle, and it better not be to hypnotize my friends."

"Oh, I don't want no trouble," Kaa replied. "I only want to help out the Man Cub."

"Help him with what?" Mike glared.

"Just trust me, okay?" Kaa replied.

Mike imitated a buzzer and twisted his body around and tossed him aside as she went to help Mowgli back down and come to her friends.

Kaa glared as he was soon on his way out, but someone pulled him away before he could get back to Mike and the others. "Huh? Oh, now what?" he then mumbled. "I'll be right over. Yes, yes, who is it?"

"It's me, Shere Khan," A familiar tiger announced himself as he came out from behind the tree. "I'd like a word with you, if you don't mind."

"Shere Khan. What a surprise." Kaa replied.

"Yes, isn't it?" Shere Khan greeted. "I just dropped by, forgive me if I've interrupted anything."

"Oh, no, nothing at all." Kaa told him.

"I thought you were entertaining someone up there in your coils." Shere Khan said, bearing his claws.

"Coils? Someone?" Kaa replied, but it seemed to be a lie. "Oh, I was just curling up for my siesta."

"But you were talking to someone," Shere Khan said as he grabbed the snake. "Who is it, Kaa?"

"Uh, who? Uh, no," Kaa said nervously. "Well I was just talking to myself."

"Indeed." Shere Khan replied.

"Yes, yes, you see, I have trouble with my ss-sinuses." Kaa told him.

"What a pity." Shere Khan replied.

"Oh, you have no idea. It's ss-simply terrible," Kaa told him. "I can't eat, I can't ss-sleep, so I sing myself to sleep. You know, self-hypnosis. Let me show you how it works," he then tried to sing his song and moved to Shere Khan's eyes, but the tiger dropped his paw over the snake's head, moving it to the ground. "Mm-mmff!!"

"I can't be bothered with that," Shere Khan told the snake. "I have no time for that sort of nonsense."

"Some other time, perhaps?" Kaa suggested from underneath the tiger's paw.

"Perhaps. But at the moment I am searching for a Man Cub." Shere Khan said as he then released Kaa.

"Man Cub?" Kaa asked. "What Man Cub?"

"The one who is lost," Shere Kan told him. "Now where do you suppose he could be?"

"Search me." Kaa said with a shrug.

"That's an excellent idea," Shere Khan replied. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind showing me your coils, would you, Kaa?

"Uh, ss-certainly not," Kaa said before lowering his tail before showing the inside of his mouth. "Nothing here, and nothing in here."

Mike and the girls went to take Mowgli away which made Shere Khan and Kaa see them leaving.

"Ah, it looks like we've got more humans." Shere Khan observed.

"I didn't know they were even here!" Kaa lied. "Honest, I didn't!"

"Is that right?" Shere Khan smirked to the snake as if he knew the snake was lying.

"Y-Y-Yes, Shere Khan," Kaa reassured. "I would never lie to you."

"Hmm... Really? Well, if you do just happen to see the Man Cub and his new friends, you will inform me first. Understand?" Shere Kan told Kaa.

"I get the point," Kaa gulped before crossing his body like to cross his body into ak not. "Cross my heart, hope to die."

"Good show," Shere Khan replied before leaving. "And now I must continue my search for the helpless little lad."

"Ooh, who does he think he's fooling?" Kaa mumbled to himself. "'Helpless little lad'. Ooh, he gives me the shivers," he then shivered as he went to try and get back to Mowgli and the girls. "Picking on that poor little helpless boy... Oh, yes, poor little helpless boy."

"You told me a lie, Kaa!" Mowgli glared, pushing Kaa's coils away from him; just like earlier. "You said I could trust you!"

"It's like you said," Kaa glared at Mowgli, coming up to him. "You can't trust anyone!" he then lunge at Mowgli, but a knot on his tail stopped him.

"Girls? Where are you?" Mowgli called out and soon went to go after them to get away from Kaa.

"If I never see that skinny little shrimp again, it will be too soon," Kaa grumbled to himself in defeat. "Ooh... My ss-sacroiliac."

Meanwhile, Justin and Justine still traveled, but they stopped for a while, coming by a dead tree where a group of four vultures were. 

"I found some fresh and safe berries," Justine told her brother, showing the berries. "Sky gave me some warnings on what to eat and survive with in the jungle."

"Okay, and luckily for us, I've filled up this canteen with fresh and clean water to drink from." Justin replied.

"You're the best." Justine smiled.

They looked up at the vultures who were sitting together in the tree.

"I hope we aren't bothering them..." Justine said. "They look so creepy."

"It's okay, they only eat dead things." Justin soothed his sister.

"That's a relief." Justine said.

"Now, let's just try to enjoy our food." Justin replied.

"So, if you don't mind, who are you guys?" Justine asked the vultures. "You make me think of The Beatles."

"I'm Ziggy." The slender vulture with brown hair and black feathers said.

"I'm Buzzy." The slightly obese vulture with a bald head and black feathers said.

"I'm Flaps." The slender vulture with blonde hair and black feathers said.

"And I'm Dizzy." The slender vulture with gray hair and black feathers concluded.

"Good to meet you guys," Justine said. "We won't bother you. We're just gonna eat up and find our friends."

"Surely they're in the Man Village where you came from, right?" Ziggy replied.

"Erm... Yeah... That sounds about right," Justin replied to the vultures. "I'm Justin Reid and this is my twin sister: Justine Reid."

"What're you guys gonna do?" Justine asked.

"Hmm... I dunno..." Buzzy shrugged. "Hey, Flaps, what we gonna do?"

"I don't know," Flaps replied. "What you wanna do?"

"I got it! Let's flap over to the east side of the jungle!" Ziggy spoke up. "They've always got a bit of action, a bit of a swinging scene. All right?"

"Ah, come off it!" Buzzy replied. "Things are right dead all over."

"You mean you wish they were!" Ziggy winked.

They all then shared a laugh. 

"Very funny..." Dizzy mumbled.

"Okay, so what we gonna do?" Buzzy asked.

"I don't know, what you wanna do?" Flaps replied.

Justin and Justine giggled a bit from the vultures.

"Look, Flaps, first I say, 'What're we gonna do?' and then you say, 'What you wanna do?", they I say, 'What we gonna do?'," Buzzy said to Flaps. "You say 'what you wanna do?', 'what you gonna do', 'what you wanna'; let's do something!"

"Okay. What you wanna do?" Flaps then asked.

"Oh, blimey, there you go again," Buzzy snapped. "The same once again!"

The twins continued to laugh which made the vultures look to them.

"I-I'm sorry!" Justine giggled to them.

Justin covered his mouth as he tried not to laugh, but failed. "You guys are just too funny!" he then added.

"Hmm... Well, thank you." Buzzy replied.

"We didn't think the people could talk to us though." Flaps said.

"It's a long story, we'll tell ya later." Justine smiled as she took a drink of water.

"Hold it, lads," Dizzy said as he noticed something. "Look, look what's coming our way."

Justin and Justine looked around as they looked cautious to be on the safe side.

"Hey, what in the world is that?" Flaps asked.

"What a crazy looking bunch of bones." Ziggy added.

"Yeah, and they're all walking about by themselves!" Dizzy pointed out.

Mowgli was soon shown walking, a bit sadly as the girls followed after him as the vultures chuckled to themselves.

"Who is it?" Justin asked.

"A Man Cub along with some girls and a possum." Ziggy replied.

"Man... Cub...?" Justine asked.

"He is a human child taken in and raised in the jungle." Ziggy explained.

Mowgli soon sat down on a stone and waved a stick into the water as he sulked.

"There's Mike... And Jayna, Cindy, Courtney, Ellody, Ashlyn, and Sledgehammer." Justine whispered to her brother.

"So, what we gonna do?" Buzzy then asked.

"I don't know--And now don't start that again!" Flaps said before glaring at him.

"Come on, lads, come one let's have some fun with this little fella, this little flockey?" Dizzy suggested, shoving the other vultures out of the tree to go and see Mowgli.

"Come on, let's follow them." Justin suggested.

"Right." Justine agreed.

The vultures all then flew down to Mowgli and his little group.

"Did either of you guys have to leave your home?" Mowgli asked Mike and the others.

"Yes... Several times..." Mike said to herself before mumbling. "Depending on the universe timeline."

"I think Mike needs a vacation of her own." Cindy suggested.

"I think so too," Mike replied. "I think I'm going to stay over at Nicktropolis for a while."

The vultures soon circled them all. Cindy's eyes widened, she then checked her pulse, before breathing in relief since that wasn't a sign that she was dying.

"Blimey, he's got legs like a storky." Flaps told the others.

"Like a stork, but he ain't got no feathers." Buzzy chuckled.

Mowgli blinked slowly and soon had tears in his eyes, so he got up to go away from the vultures as he obviously wasn't in the mood right now. "Go ahead. Laugh. I don't care."

The vultures couldn't help but feel upset.

"What's wrong with him?" Dizzy wondered.

"I think we overdid it." Flaps replied.

"We were just having a bit of fun that's all." Dizzy said.

"I should hope so," Mike said firmly before sighing softly and thinking to herself. "Listen, uh, guys? Mowgli's been through a lot right now. I know it's tough to leave your home when you've known it for so long and suddenly, you're up and out."

"Besides your Drawn Together family, huh?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, Cin," Mike told her. "I mean, there was that time I met The Impossibles... That time with the Cartmans... Also, the couple I thought were my parents all this time when I lived in Manhattan before becoming an exchange student on the Albonquetine Islands. I guess at least I still have Jen and Jamie."

"At least you've had some families..." Cindy said to her. "My grandmother was pretty much on her own before she married my grandfather and they raised my aunt and mother."

"I've never known what it was like to have a family; parents who would love you and be with you all the time." Jayna said softly before bowing her head as Mike and Cindy comforted the female Wonder Twin.

"I'm sure it's tough, but you shouldn't let it hold you back," Cindy told Jayna. "My grandmother didn't let it get to her. I'm not saying I don't feel bad for you, but you shouldn't let the toughest situations hold you back in your life, like when Justin and Justine lost their father and then each other, but they worked through it, and look at where they are now."

"Cindy's right," Mike added. "I know your family wouldn't want to see you or Zan upset."

"I know, and I try not to think about it, but when I see people with their families, I get upset," Jayna said. "Like that Family Day we had in the city and everyone's families were there, even Mike's Drawn Together family came for that day. It really hurt me and Zan that day."

"I'm sure it did, but it's going to be okay." Mike soothed.

"You still have family though," Ashlyn reminded. "Zan and Gleek."

"You're right on that," Jayna replied. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, no need to apologize," Courtney soothed. "It's okay that you miss your parents."

"Funny, and you would normally just laugh about us being orphans." Jayna mumbled.

"It's in the past now, I'm not gonna do it again." Courtney promised.

"And for your sake, you better not." Mike replied.

"Thanks, you guys." Jayna said.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Cindy replied.

"If only we could help Mowgli." Ellody said.

"Hm... I guess we'll have to wait and see... Today's been rough on him..." Courtney said. "You saw how close he and Baloo were before Baloo told him about the Man Village."

"You know, Courtney, when you're not a pain in the asinus, you're actually pretty helpful and smart." Cindy said.

"Well, that's how I got to become a CIT." Courtney replied.

"Say, are you the girls that those kids were talking about?" Ziggy asked.

"Uh... What kids?" Cindy shrugged.

"Well, they were like, I think they're called twins," Flaps replied. "One was a boy and the other one was a girl, but they both had black hair and baby blue eyes."

"You saw them?!" Ashlyn asked.

"Yeah, we were talkin' to them for a while," Ziggy said. "Said they were looking for their friends. Would that be you?"

"Tell me this; did they look like models and have tan skin, because if they are who I'm thinking that they are?!" Ashlyn asked frantically.

"Yeah, they did." Dizzy nodded.

"Justin and Justine are here!" Courtney and Ellody gasped to each other.

"Huh, I figured the others would send the Powerpuff Girls or something to find us." Cindy said to herself.

"Where are they right now?" Ashlyn asked the vultures.

"Buzzy, go get those two." Flaps said.

"Sure thing, Flaps." Buzzy said before flying off to go and get the Reid twins.

"I can't believe it, Justin and Justine are here..." Mike said. "Surely the others must be here too then."

"Yeah, but where?" Ellody replied.

"You don't suppose they could be in the Man Village, do you?" Cindy suggested.

"That is a possibility." Ellody replied.

"I hope they are." Courtney said.

Eventually, Justin and Justine came out.

"JUSTIN!" Jayna beamed, running up to him and hugging him. "Oh, my God, I've missed you so much."

"Like you wouldn't believe." Sledgehammer added with a smirk.

"I missed you too." Justin smiled to Jayna.

"He wanted to find you the most, so instead of sending the Powerpuff Girls, they sent us." Justine explained.

"They?" Mike asked.

"Sensei Jack and Ms. Honeydew." Justin informed.

"Oh, thank goodness, some of the others made it," Cindy sighed in relief. "They're in the Man Village, I'm guessing?"

"Apparently it's called the Seeonee Tribe, but yeah," Justin said. "A lot of the others made it over there too. We've all been wondering about you guys, especially after Jayna and Courtney had that fist fight off the boat."

"Speaking of which... Why is SHE with you?!" Justine asked, pointing sharply to Courtney. "She's the cause of all of this!"

"It's okay, you two, she's reforming," Mike told the Reid twins. "She's even left Kevin's gang."

Justin and Justine looked doubtful at first until Mike and the others told the Reid twins everything that they had been going through lately with Courtney and she told them about how she felt about being with Kevin and his friends, finding them heartless and cruel with their bullying, even worse than how MOST bullies could be sometimes.

"I guess we were wrong about you, Courtney." Justine then said.

"It's okay," Courtney pouted. "I feel guilty for bullying you guys."

"You were really dark," Justine told her. "Especially with the way you got around Justin."

"I know... I'm sorry... But can you blame me?" Courtney replied. "Your brother's an amazing guy."

"And I'm sure that you'll find your own special someone someday." Jayna soothed. 

"I guess so..." Courtney sighed. "I don't know if I'd want Duncan back, even with that thing with Gwen since we were pretty serious for a while."

"Eh, I can see why you'd feel that way, but I never imagined you and Duncan being together forever in the end," Justine said. "You seemed good for like a one year thing rather than a serious relationship like with him and Dusk from The Hex Girls."

"That is true... We had nothing in common, so it's best that Duncan and Dusk are together," Courtney said. "They look so happy."

"Exactly!" Jayna smiled before looking to Courtney. "Ah, don't worry. You'll meet someone soon, You can't rush it."

"Yeah, I guess." Courtney shrugged.

"But we're so glad that you guys are all right." Justine beamed.

"Ah, of course we're alright, I'm here, right?" Mike replied.

"Snarky Mike is snarky." Justin said.

"Aren't I always?" Mike rolled her eyes a bit. "I'm always there to save the day and come up with all the plans unless I get a chance to go out of town with Jamie, June, and Dee Dee for something."

"We're sorry, Mike," Justine said. "We'll understand if you don't want to leave--" 

"Actually, after a while, I've been thinking about it, and I'm going to stay in Nicktropolis for a while." Mike cut her off.

"How long's a while?" Justin asked.

"Whenever I decide to come back." Mike replied.

"We totally understand," Justine said. "It's your choice."

"Thanks, guys." Mike smiled gratefully.

"But right now, it seems like Mowgli's broken... He can't really trust anyone in this jungle anymore..." Cindy said. "I guess at least he trusts us even if he just met us."

"He has to go to the village, but we shouldn't let that hang over his head," Ashlyn said. "If only there was a way to show him that he could like living in the village with people of his own kind as much as he likes the jungle."

"I'm not sure myself, but that does sound like a good idea." Courtney agreed.

"Say, where did those vultures go?" Mike then asked.

"They went to comfort Mowgli." Cindy said.

"Hm... Well, at least they're doing something useful and not laughing at him anymore," Mike said. "I never was a big fan of vultures."

They then went to go after the vultures, only to find that they had gone up to sit in a tree, looking scared.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Cindy asked them.

"Sh-Shere Khan." Dizzy replied.

They soon looked over to see the tiger as he applauded his front paws together.

"Bravo, bravo! An extraordinary performance," Shere Khan smirked to the vultures. "And thank you for detaining my victim.

"D-Don't mention it, Your Highness." Flaps gulped to the tiger.

"Run, friends! Run!" Buzzy cried out.

"Run?" Mowgli asked. "Why should we run?"

"Why should you run?" Shere Khan smirked. "Could it be possible that you don't know who I am?"

"Yeah, a tyrant jungle cat!" Mike glared.

The vultures panicked from that which got Shere Khan to glare back at Mike.

"We know you alright," Mowgli glared at the tiger. "You're Shere Khan."

"Precisely," Shere Khan smirked as he held out his claws to Cindy to scare her off, which would normally happen, but not this time. "Then you should also know that everyone runs from Shere Khan."

"You don't scare us," Cindy glared at the tiger. "We won't run from anyone."

"Ah, you have spirit for one so small. And such spirit is deserving of a sporting chance," Shere Khan smirked. "Now, I am going to close my eyes and count to ten. It makes the chase more interesting. For me."

"I'm proud of ya, Cin, but I hope you have a way out of this," Sledgehammer said, crawling up to Cindy's head. "I'm not sure if my usual material will work on this cat." 

"Me, personally, not right now, but I'm sure we'll get some help against this pussycat." Cindy replied, keeping her glare as she was done with being pushed around by other people, especially with Kevin and Sarah bugging her all the time back home.

Shere Khan began to count as Mowgli soon went further around and soon picked up a branch. "You're trying my patience," he said as he soon saw that and quickly counted and pounced out for the feral boy. "Ten!"

Mowgli panicked at first, only for Shere Khan to fall flat on the ground as a certain bear came back, holding the tiger by his tail.

"Run, guys, run!" Baloo cried out as he held Shere Khan by his tail.

"Who's that?" Justine asked.

"Baloo: one of our new animal friends." Mike replied.

"Let go, you big oaf!" Shere Khan glared at Baloo.

"Take it easy, hold it, hold it. Whoa, easy, easy." Baloo said, trying to keep Shere Khan still, but failed.

"He's got a tiger by the tail." Buzzy said.

"And he'd better hang on, too." Dizzy added.

"Well, it's good to see a nice and helpful bear like Yogi." Justine smiled. 

"Yogi's sometimes helpful when he doesn't try to take picnic baskets." Courtney rolled her eyes a bit. 

"Just be glad he isn't a dangerous bear." Ellody nudged her step-sister a little.

Shere Khan then bit Baloo on his butt which made the bear yell out in pain.

Mowgli hit Shere Khan with the branch. "Take that, you big bully!"

"Let him have it! Hit him!" Flaps chanted, hitting his friends on the head by accident.

"We have to help... If only there were some fire around or we had a gun since Shere Khan hates those things." Cindy said to the others.

The others then suddenly had an idea before smirking as they looked over at Justin and Justine.

"What?" Justin asked.

"Can't you guys make fire?" Ashlyn asked them.

"Yeah?" Justine shrugged.

"Great, then all you have to do is make a fire on one of these branches while I tie the branch to Shere Khan's tail." Courtney replied.

"That's a good idea, Courtney." Cindy replied.

"That's a rare sentence." Ashlyn commented.

"Ashlyn..." Mike glanced at the punk girl.'

"Sorry. Reflex." Ashlyn replied.

"All right, you guys, let's go!" Courtney told the others.

Mowgli continued to run as Shere Khan chased him while Baloo held onto his tail. Justin and Justine soon took Mowgli's branch and they both grabbed a hold of it before both of their eyes turned lava red and eventually, a spark came onto the branch and they let go together with one hand to show a flame.

"Phew... That gave me a little headache..." Justine said.

"Probably because you're used to making lava that we don't use fire a lot since that's Eddy's job." Justin replied.

Courtney soon grabbed the flaming branch and tied it around Shere Khan's tail after he knocked Baloo out. Baloo soon fell over.

"Baloo, you okay?" Jayna asked the bear.

Baloo let out a small groan before looking up to her.

"Oh, good, he's okay." Jayna then smiled to the bear.

"Look behind you, chum." Dizzy smirked to the tiger.

Shere Khan took a look and soon panicked once he saw the fire and began to run off like a cowardly tiger, getting hurt every step of the way as he was trapped with the flaming branch on his tail.

"Well, that's the last of him." Buzzy smiled.

"Old Stripes took off like a flaming comet!" Ziggy laughed.

"Well, come on, let's go congratulate our friend." Buzzy suggested.

"Not just him." Flaps said.

"Oh, that's right." Buzzy replied.

"Hold it, fellas," Dizzy told them somberly as he took a look as Baloo was lying down beside Jayna, but he didn't seem to be showing any signs of life. "Now's not the time for it. Look."

"Oh, no," Justine pouted. "Poor Baloo."

"You don't think he's... Dead... Do you?" Ashlyn asked.

"I don't think so," Mike replied. "At least... I hope not."

"Baloo? Baloo, get up," Mowgli called to his best bear friend. "Oh please, get up."

"Oh..." Bagheera frowned as he soon arrived to see the feral boy as it lightly rained while everyone else looked to Mowgli and Baloo. "Mowgli, try to understand."

Cindy turned around, crying a little. 

Mowgli wiped his eyes, feeling extremely sad. "Guys, what's the matter with him?"

"You've got to be brave, like Baloo was." Bagheera replied.

"You don't mean--" Mowgli began until he realized what the panther meant and broke down, hugging the bear's neck. "Oh, no, Baloo."

"Now, now. I know how you feel, but you must remember, Mowgli, 'Greater love hath no one than he who lays down his life for his friend'," Bagheera comforted, but unknown to him, Baloo slowly opened his eyes. "'When great deeds are remembered in this jungle one name will stand above all others': Our friend, Baloo the Bear."

Baloo sniffled with tears in his eyes. "He's crackin' me up."

"He's alive." Mike said softly in relief.

"Thank goodness." Cindy said, wiping her eyes.

"The memory of Baloo's sacrifice and bravery will forever be engraved on our saddened hearts." Bagheera continued, unaware that Baloo was just fine. 

"Beautiful." Baloo whispered to himself.

Eventually, the rainfall soon stopped and sun began to shine through again.

"This spot where Baloo fell will always be a hallowed place in the jungle, for there lies one of nature's noblest creatures." Bagheera continued.

"I wish my mother could've heard this." Baloo whispered with a sniffle.

"It's best we leave now," Bagheera then suggested, going off. "Come along, Man Cub."

"Don't stop now, Baggy, you're doing great!" Baloo raised his voice with a smile. "There's more, lots more!"

Bagheera looked to Baloo in surprise and soon lost his temper on the bear. "Why you, big fraud! You, you four-flusher! Do you realize--?!

"Baloo, you're all right!" Mowgli beamed, hugging the bear right away.

Baloo chuckled to that. "Who me? Sure I am. Never felt..." he then held his head before feeling dizzy all of the sudden. "Better."

The vultures soon laughed happily once they saw that Baloo was alright.

"It's going to be a bit dull without the little bloke and those city folks, isn't it?" Dizzy remarked.

"Yeah, so what we gonna do?" Buzzy replied.

"I don't know--" Flaps said before glaring. "And now don't start that again!"

The others walked away from the vultures waving goodbye to them.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey, Baggy, too bad you missed the action," Baloo smiled to the panther. "You should have seen how I made a sucker out of stripes with that left in his face. Boom, boom, I was giving him wham!. You know, we're some good sparring partners."

"You better believe it!" Mowgli smiled.

"Yes, sir!" Baloo smiled back before hugging the feral boy. "Nothing or nobody is ever gonna come between us again."

Mowgli then hugged Baloo until he heard a faint voice singing not too far away.

"My own home, My own home, My own home, My own home~" Shanti was heard singing as she soon went to get some water with Brick, Butch, and Boomer following her with eager smiles, trying to impress her with flowers, candy, and jewelry.

Mowgli soon ran off away from Baloo and came to see the singing up close. "Look! What's that?" he then asked.

"Oh, it's the Man Village." Bagheera told him.

"No, no," Mowgli said, pointing out to the girl. "I mean that."

"Forget about those, they ain't nothing but trouble." Baloo scoffed.

"The Man Village?!" Mike gasped.

"We did it, you guys," Cindy told the others. "We made it."

"And look!" Sledgehammer said. "It's the Rowdyruff Boys!"

Mowgli came out to see Shanti up close.

"Mowgli, wait a minute--" Baloo tried to stop the boy.

"Ah, Baloo, let him have a better look." Bagheera told him.

"We better get going too," Ellody added before looking to Baloo and Bagheera. "It was nice to meet you all."

"You guys are welcome to come back anytime." Baloo invited.

"Thank you," Mike replied. "We had a good time."

Shanti continued to sing to herself while the Boys kept watching her, pushing and shoving each other.

However, Shanti seemed interested in someone else as Mowgli soon splashed into the water which made her giggle to him. "Then I will have a handsome husband, And a daughter of my own, And I'll send her to fetch the water, I'll be cooking in the home~," she then sang as she carried her water in the pot, putting it on her head before dropping it so that it would roll to Mowgli. "Mmm-mmm, Mmm-mmm, Then I'll send her to fetch the water, I'll be cooking in my home~--Oh!"

"She did that on purpose!" Baloo complained.

"Obviously." Bagheera smiled.

Mowgli picked up the pot, fills it with water and holds for Shanti. Shanti looked at him and walks to the village, humming. Mowgli then carried the water out for her.

"Mowgli, come back, come back!" Baloo cried out.

"Go on, go on!" Bagheera urged.

Mowgli hesitated and then, after Shanti looked at him again and the two soon walked into the village together with Sledgehammer and the girls going after them so that they could reunite with their other friends in the Man Village.

"It's hopeless," Eddy frowned. "We will never find them!"

"Don't give up, Eddy; we will find them." Double D replied.

"You've been saying that forever ago!" Eddy told him. "I knew we couldn't trust Justin and Justine to go and find them, and now I bet they're even more lost."

Unknown to them, the others who had been missing, came out which made everyone except for Eddy gasp.

"Poor Mike is out there," Eddy frowned to himself. "This is all my fault. I should've gone out there to find her."

"Eddy...." Double D called.

"Are you seriously going to talk like that again, Eddy?" Mike asked, rolling her eyes.

"Wait a minute... That sounds like..." Eddy said before turning around. "Mike!" He then tackled Mike with a hug. "I'm so glad that you're okay! I'm so sorry for everything, please don't leave! Things are gonna be different from now on. Whenever we have a problem, we're going to solve it on our own!"

"Well, that's good to know," Mike said. "Now, Eddy, I want you to listen to me."

"This is gonna be great!" Eddy beamed.

"EDDY! Listen!" Mike told him.

"Let's get back home, and--" Eddy continued.

"EDDY, FOR ONCE, WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE WHEN THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY?!" Mike scolded him.

Eddy soon quieted himself down.

"Thank you..." Mike then said. "Now, as I was saying, I'm not going to leave CN City, but I'm going to stay in Nicktropolis until I decide to come back."

"...Is that really what you want?" Eddy asked, softly.

"Yes," Mike told him. "I know the first time I went to Nicktropolis was totally an accident, and there are still bullies and obstacles there, but... In Nicktropolis, no one knows he really well, except for maybe Lil. I can be myself and have fun there. It's like a break and relief whenever I go there for a visit, even if there are some issues. Hey, maybe you'll get to see me on TV."

"What makes you say that, Mike?" Ed asked.

"Lil sent me this Nick Magazine last week after our testing for finals," Mike said, bringing out a magazine which showed a teen soap opera like Dawson's Creek. "It's a series called Moody's Point. They're holding auditions for a new kid in town character, and I thought maybe I could try it out since I always thought acting was interesting."

"Well, if that's what you want, we won't stop you." Double D replied.

"I'm gonna miss you!" Dee Dee cried out as she hugged the tomboy while crying.

"I know you will, but you should all stay strong," Mike told them. "I'm gonna come back home for a while, but I'm gonna be gone."

"When will you come back?" June asked.

"Whenever I'm ready to come back," Mike said. "It's none of your faults though. Nicktropolis was always my home away from home when we did Cartoon Cartoon Fridays because of that little incident with Lu and Og."

"Which totally wasn't my fault!" Lu cried out. "Calling it now! That wasn't my fault! You know, Og, you saw, I didn't do it, right? Yeah, right!"

"You'll call us, right?" Ed asked Mike.

"Of course I will, big guy." Mike smiled.

Ed then pulled Mike into a hug, which she was used to by now, so she just put up with it.

"So, this is the village." Ashlyn said.

"Yes," Double D nodded. "The Seeonee Village."

"Oh, I'm so glad that you children are all right." Ms. Honeydew smiled to the missing students.

"I'm so sorry for not believing you!" Lightning cried out as he hugged his girlfriend instantly.

"Yeah, sorry, Ellody," Chicken said. "We should listen to youse next time." 

"Yes, you should," Ellody replied. "Why does no one listen to the smart people whenever something bad is about to happen?"

"We were just having so much fun and we should've listened in the first place," Scott said. "So, are still cool?"

"Si, we are." Ellody smiled back.

"Great!" Scott said. "I mean it's awesome when you and Lightning, then me and Jade, and Chicken and Katrina all hang out together, like whenever we see Jade's Aunt Blanche."

"Erm... You're not gonna tell your uncle about this, right?" Lightning asked nervously.

"No, Lightning." Ellody chuckled.

"Good, 'cuz, uh, I don't wanna bother him." Lightning smiled innocently.

Ellody rolled her eyes from that, but she smiled back to her boyfriend.

Meshua looked over as she carried a basket of laundry, looking out to Mowgli. "Nathoo...?" she then mumbled as the feral boy looked so much like her older son, but unfortunately, he was not.

"Meshua, I found this boy alone in the jungle," Shanti told her mother's best friend. "I don't think he's from around here."

"Oh... I... I see..." Meshua then said as she looked out to Mowgli.

Mowgli smiled at the woman and waved to her. Meshua waved back, allowing him to come to her.

"Who's the kid in the diaper?" Eddy asked.

"It's called a loincloth and his name is Mowgli." Courtney told him.

"He was raised by wolves." Mike added.

"Is he related to you?" Justine asked.

"Very funny." Mike rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"If he's raised by wolves, then how come he's not a savage, walking around on four legs, and growling at everybody?" Eddy asked.

"Reasons." Mike said.

"Oh." Eddy blinked.

"And I have another question," Jo said before looking at a certain brunette girl. "Why is SHE here when all of this is all her fault?"

"I'm sorry," Courtney said out of guilt. "I know you don't like me, but I'm really sorry for hurting you."

"Oh... Gee... When you put it like that, I don't believe you!" Jo said softly before snapping at her.

"No, Jo, listen, she's serious," Justine told her girlfriend. "I know what Courtney's done in the past, but listen to her." 

Courtney sighed, taking a deep breath and then began to explain everything to everybody. Jack didn't say anything, but he gave a firm look since he was one of the few teachers who knew how Courtney would be around other students to make herself look good. "And so, I left Kevin's gang when I realized how cruel they could be." she then concluded.

"Is that right?" Jo replied to Courtney. "Well, I'm keeping my eye on you."

"But don't you trust and believe me?" Courtney asked.

"Excuse me, but you've told me several times that Justine's cheating on me, so excuse me if I'm a little hesitant in the 'Welcome to the Howling Wolves' party." Jo told her. 

"I'm with Jo on this one," Eddy agreed. "Sorry, Mike."

"It's cool, but just know that if it weren't for her, we wouldn't be here right now." Mike reassured.

"If you say so." Jo mumbled a bit.

Courtney frowned a bit.

"You should give them time to see if you really have changed," Jack told Courtney. "They'll all warm up eventually, but you haven't exactly been a nice girl lately, Courtney. I've also seen what you've done in the hallways to other students, such as sabotage." 

"I know, Sensei Jack, it was wrong," Courtney sighed to him. "Especially when I had been hanging out with the wrong people."

"You used to be a very nice girl." Ms. Honeydew agreed with Jack. 

"I will be the nice girl I used to be," Courtney vowed. "I promised."

"That's what we like to hear." Mike approved.

Sanjay soon peeked out to see Mowgli. Meshua then came to talk with her husband about Mowgli.

"What do you think's gonna happen?" Dee Dee asked.

"I think they might adopt Mowgli as their son." Mike replied. 

"Oh, that would be good for Mowgli." Cindy approved.

"Hopefully." Mike added.

Later on, everyone was settling in on the village while Dexter, Maxwell, Og, Otto, and Double D continued to work on their distress signal.

"All right, we should be getting a signal by late tonight or early tomorrow,"Og told the others. "Then someone will find us and we can all go back home to the city." 

"Good, now I must say this was a pretty good trip, except for maybe the ship getting destroyed." Cindy remarked.

"You're right on that, Cin." Mike agreed.

"I can't help but wonder where Kevin, Sarah, and the others ended up," Cindy said before looking to Eddy. "I know 'Who knows? Who cares?', but seriously." 

"Mom is gonna ground me for not watching Baby Sister." Ed panicked.

"Ah, we'll worry about Princess Big Mouth and Shovelchin later," Eddy rolled his eyes. "So, uh, Mike, when a way comes back home, are you just gonna head down to Nicktropolis?"

"No, I'm gonna go home, get my stuff, tell Jen and Jamie what's going on, then I'm gonna be gone," Mike replied. "I'm sure they'll understand."

Soon enough, the others then sat down to relax and enjoy themselves. Meshua and Sanjay soon adopted Mowgli as their son and he became a new member of the Man Village.

"He is hooked." Baloo said as Mowgli didn't come back.

"Ah, it was inevitable Baloo," Bagheera told him. "The boy couldn't help himself. It was bound to happen. Mowgli is where he belongs now."

"Yeah. I guess you're right, but I still think he'd have made one swell bear," Baloo replied before he soon looked to the panther. "Well, come on, Baggy buddy. Let's get back to where we belong. And get with the beat!"

Baloo and Bagheera soon went off together, singing about The Bare Necessities. 

"Goodbye, Baloo and Bagheera." Courtney whispered once she saw the bear and panther leaving back to the jungle. 

They soon heard a horn blaring and looked over to see a new cruise ship where Dakota, Sam, Skarr, and Ms. Butterbean, waving to them.

"Hey, guys!" Dakota smiled. "We've found you!"

"It's Dakota!" Mike beamed once she saw who it was.

"Along with Principal Skarr and Ms. Butterbean!" Cindy added.

"Hey, guys!" Dakota called out. "Need a lift?" 

Everyone cheered as they grabbed their luggage and headed to the cruise ship.

"Are you leaving then?" Meshua asked.

"Yes, we need to go home," Mike said. "Thanks for looking after my friends."

"You remind me of someone I've met a long time ago," Meshua smiled. "I hope you have a happy and healthy life like they did when their new child was born in The Ancient Ruins."

"That sounds like quite a story, but now, we must go." Mike smiled back as she soon came to join the others while Dakota and Sam helped them on board.

"Uh, no need to tell all your parents about this, right?" Skarr smiled nervously to the students. 

The students then looked to each other and looked back, smirking.

"Oh, we won't," Eddy said. "As long as we have fun on this cruise ship."

"Deal." Skarr replied.

The students then cheered as they were having a relaxing and fun time on the cruise ship. The cruise ship soon left the Indian village as Mowgli became the newest member to Sanjay and Meshua's family.

As for Kevin and Sarah, well, let’s just say; they were with the monkeys right now.

"What do we do?!" Sarah asked. 

"How am I meant to know?!" Kevin replied.

The two soon yelled out as another adventure came to a close until next time.

The End


End file.
